Writer: Wahiduzzaman

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Effects: NA
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Watch this if you liked: “Do Re Mi” and Senario movies.

Malaysia's favourite comedic group Senario returns to the big screen two years after 2006's "Senario Pemburu Emas Yamashita". This time, they're back with a new project under the box-office specialist Ahmad Idham. Early on, the movie seems to be a promising one but after watching it, I found nothing much to commend about this movie.

The ordinariness and predictable storyline results in nothing much to talk about. Despite Idham's promise of no cliches in "Senario The Movie: Episode 1", the product appears to be the opposite. In light of this, now I absolutely salute Aziz M Osman for his past journeys with the gang. Perhaps, a major flaw of the movie is the lack of chemistry between Idham and the gang, as evident in the story.

The only commendable aspect of this movie is the cast. The trio - Azlee, Wahid and Mazlan - have displayed an entertaining performance. But of course, when you are trying too hard to make people laugh you tend to fool yourself, which can only be described as overacting. Yes, once in a while they tend play monkeys to an extent that it becomes irritating. Plus, the cameo appearances by Zaibo, Fauziah Nawi, Zul Huzaimy, Julia Hana, Osman Kering and Zaidi Omar didn't leave any impact at all.

There's one chase scene between the trio and a pickpocket, which vividly reminds me of the scene in P Ramlee's "Do Re Mi". It's the exact scene albeit with different locations, actors and of course, the era. This time, the Senario trio failed to make me laugh. It's suffocating to know that the idea of a storyteller in the movie, Zaibo who appears in between scenes, is obviously an imitation of S. Samsudin's role in P Ramlee's "Tiga Abdul"! What were Idham and the well-known comedic writer, Zulkiflie Mohd Said thinking when they came out with the idea? Isn't it pathetic for them to fail in delivering a better version? Another feature that disgusts me was the spoofing of several scenes from Idham's past movies including "Remp-it" and "Jangan Pandang Belakang". It's a silly effort and definitely not funny!

It may be a bit unpatriotic to condemn a local film but facts remain facts - and an honest factual comment is usually hurtful. At the very least, if some effort were put in to improvise the story here and there, "Senario The Movie: Episode 1" would not end up the way it did. This is a comedy that may tarnish Idham's profile and the Senario brand in general. Despite the flaws, the movie is likely to draw the public attention when it releases this Aidilfitri, especially for Senario fans out there.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008