Chaver

Having heard more negative reviews about the movie, we went in for the movie with much negative expectations, since it was booked in advance. Chaaver is a brutal story revolving around the party thugs who were betrayed after a planned murder by their higher political cadet.

Had much expectations about Tinu Pappachen because of his earlier outings were a feast in theaters. He didn't disappoint in terms of the shots, camera works, excitement, background score but was clueless to deliver a complete package because of the wafer thin plot.

The beauty of the Kannur was nicely captured with amazing visuals and more of an innovative cameraworks. The camera movement and placement needs an applause. Justin Varghese music and the performances of Kunchacko Boban, Arjun Ashokan, Manoj KU, Sajin Gopu and the extended cameo role of Antony Varghese were the saviour of the movie. Tinu should have cut down the runtime of 128 minutes to 90 or 90+ movie which would have been made this wafer thin plot more crispier. The last gun combat was absolute nonsence with more slow motion shots which was actually a waste of time and tiring.

Positives

• Cast and their performances
• Camera
• Music
• Visuals

Negatives

• Script
• Lengthy
• Slowmotion (during the climax gunfight)
• Tiring

My verdict is 04 on 10 and is avoidable in theaters.

If it comes to OTT, try x1.5 times which may entertain you.

I could sense the enthusiasm with which Tinu Pappachan wanted to deliver this film - it was evident throughout, maybe a tad too much. As a one-liner, I feel Chaaver is a film with potential. But whatever I saw in the film scene-by-scene, the excitement fizzled out early on. The route the screenplay chooses to take is treading the beaten path, with negligible attempts at character development and building emotional depth.

There are feeble efforts to make a character's death feel sad and remorseful, and the thematic use of Theyyam (as an art form) to amplify these feelings unfortunately doesn't hit the mark. On the other hand, there are commendable efforts made on the visual front and the cinematographer (Jinto George) seems to have worked overtime to capture those incredible night shots. However, the excessive use of slo-mo proves to be a dampener. None of the characters stick, and even when Kunchacko Boban manages to look the part (of a no-nonsense ruffian ready to spill blood for his political party), the writing renders him just as inconsequential as the rest.

Arjun Ashokan's character is one that involuntarily gets embroiled in this mess, though I couldn't find one solid reason for him to be tagged along with this motley crew. He could've just been dropped at the next junction for all I care (after the ruckus we see), and nothing in the film would've changed. The political backstabbing and casteist angles are predictably weak, and they don't add much to a film that already appears worn-out while getting to its finish line. Justin Varghese's score is fantastic though, and without it, I'm guessing this would've been an absolute snoozer.

P. S. I'm pretty sure Tinu Pappachan will bounce back from this. This wasn't his comfort zone, and unfortunately, Joy Mathew's writing failed to back him up.

This is a very stupid movie. There is nothing new in the plot, everything has been written off. It is better to make the film better. It has ruined my time. The director of the film should understand that times are changing. Make something new but what will you do if you make the same old file. South should make a Hollywood type movie. Or then they should learn from Mammootty or Dulquer Salmaan that how to make a movie and not throw it in front of the audience. It is a request to the director sir not to waste his time by making such garbage and stupid movies. Don't do it. You are requested to please ignore this movie.

Chaaver had good intentions and a great message to pass along, but the tedious storytelling sadly punctured the beauty of this film

DELICIOUS

-One thing that Chaaver is extremely rich in is symbols!

From the opening scene that zoomed in on a mouse getting ready to eat a roach to Pablo Neruda's poem

-It was encouraging to see the theme of loyalty present across characters

-The photography added a plus to the storytelling with engaging camera movements and placements that were as curious as we were.

-It was quite interesting that the four goons all came from different faiths. Without being a spoiler, when you understand the intent of their murder, it kinda makes sense why they were selected

BLAND

-The storytelling was regrettably slooow and unengaging😭 The movie only got a boost toward the last 20 minutes, this was obviously too late.

The scene sequences seemed detached: one moment we were introduced to Ashokan and his partners and another one we were taken to Arun and his mom who appeared cold toward each other.

The lack of a parallel plot made the scenario redundant and the long scenes impaired the beauty of this film

-The everpresent ominous score made it look as if something gripping was going to happen but nope, we only saw Ashokan and his partners driving and driving in their car😔

-As Chaaver carried an important message, inspirational and thought-provoking dialogues could have been crafted to make it memorable

Joy Mathew has a tendency to make his scenarios tedious as he did with 'Uncle', so sad that we witnessed the same pattern with Chaaver...

"The movie started off with great promise, building up the hype and excitement within the first 15 minutes. However, the momentum dipped as the plot slowed down, leaving the audience waiting for the suspense to pick up. This lag continued into the second half, sapping the initial energy. Disappointingly, the film didn't deliver on the expectations set by its trailer. Kunchacko Boban showcased his acting prowess with a commendable role, but Arjun Ashokan's character felt somewhat out of place. Despite the flaws, the movie is worth a single watch for fans of the actors and the genre.".............................