|
Indonesia 1987
Director: Achiel Nasrun
Cast: Ryan Hidayat, Agyl Shahriar, Sylvana Herman, Andreas Pancarian, Firdha Razak, Anton Indracaya, Karina Suwandi
Rating: Teen
VCD Quality: Poor/Decent/Excellent
Running Length: 1 hour 41 mins 38 secs
Review of the Movie
|
|
|
 |
LUPUS 2:
MAHLUK MANIS DALAM BIS |
| Storyline: |  |
| Cast: |  |
| Ending: | |
Overall:
 |
|
|
Continuing the success of the first Lupus, another entry was released. This time the movie is based on another Hilman Hariwijaya's novel "Lupus: Mahluk Manis Dalam Bis" or in English would be "Lupus: The Cute Girl on the Bus", although literally it would be "Lupus: The Cute Thing on the Bus."
This comedy romantic movie is a sequel alright, and some of you might have thought negatively of a sequel, which is understood since a sequel usually has less quality than its predecessor. I've gotta admit, Lupus I is better on some parts than the sequel, yes, but...what lacks in Lupus II, the filmmakers make it up for us in other parts. Luckily, they redeemed it very well.
The title actually doesn't follow/reflect the premise or even the overall theme of the story. On their way to school, inside a bus, Lupus and his gang encounter a cute girl or Mahluk Manis (Karina Suwandi) sitting and smiling by the window. Lupus, Boim and the rest try to make a move on her, but she just smiles at them and simply gets off the bus at her destination. The boys have instant crush on them. This is a very important aspect of the movie, it reflects clearly that in the 80s, the students had hope to get to know someone on the bus, as it is nearly impossible nowadays, especially students who go to school in Jakarta.
After that, Lupus simply forgets everything about the cute girl and continues with his daily routine. And by what I mean with daily routine is so many actually-cluttering-unconnected activities that are not intertwined by a clear line. From Lupus, Boim, Gusur, Fifi and their friends making effort to be movie stars, camping by the river and flirting with the local girl and even a scene where they encounter a ghost. Lulu also has a crush on someone highly un-expected, Boim the playboy-wannabe who seems actually kind-hearted and shy.
Let's talk about the negatives first which is certainly the plot. The story is not as clearly told as in the previous Lupus, where the story centers on Lupus and his girlfriend, Poppy. In Lupus II, the story is crammed with many activities of Lupus, that it seems rushed. The comedy is also not as funny as in Lupus I, the overall tone still makes this teen-flick falls to the comedy genre, however most jokes and humor are so gentle, that they're only gonna make you smile. Of course there are a few moments of chuckling and even laugh-out-loud, but they are not as much as in Lupus I.
For those flaws, there are good points tagging along. And what I remembered clearly is the ghost! Back then there was only a single TV station in Indonesia, TVRI, a government owned. So we don't have that many horror films to see. This ghost in Lupus particularly was notorious for being scary. It is what the Indonesian people call as Kuntilanak. The filmmakers made it seriously that at one part it truly feels like seeing horror flick instead of comedy-romantic one. But this is actually good, it's interesting. Another good point is other characters besides Lupus are now given more dialogue than in Lupus I, so we could feel emotionally more involved in Lupus's friends, especially the Playboy-wannabe Boim (Agiel Shahriar). This is what I personally fond of, seeing how awkward Boim is when dating with Lulu and Lulu takes him to eat at a Pizza Hut restaurant. Boim's character in the novel, in the essence, is the strongest character, even though he is pictured far from being a hero. But arguably if you have read the novel, he is the one who almost always has the bad luck but try to cope with his problems.
Lupus II has its flaws but also its advantages. And after so many years have passed, I tend to like it for its sentimental/collectible value, which makes me overlook those flaws. Besides, the soundtracks are also catchier and the cinematography is also better. If you want to watch good Indo romantic comedy from the 80s, Lupus' movies are must to watch.
© Iwan Pranowo of Movielogy.com
|
| |
|
Home > All Indonesian Movies Home > Lupus 2: Mahluk Manis dalam Bis
|
