Writer: Adam Sulaiman

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Watch this if you liked: “Santau”, “Mantera”, “Jangan Tegur”, “Jangan Pandang Belakang”, “Flat 3A”

"Assalamualaikum.....kumm......kumm". This is one of the lines that continue to linger in this reviewer's mind, which comes from the supernatural being in the form of a woman that becomes the main character in the film "Sumpahan Kum-Kum".

"Sumpahan Kum-Kum" is the fifth film from director Ismail Bob Hashim, and MIG's second opening act for the year 2012 that features underrated stars from weekly television films. As a result, this latest addition to the MIG lineup looked set to be the riskiest, which was also why this reviewer refrained from having high expectations before watching "Sumpahan Kum-Kum".

After managing to overcome the initial fright at the beginning and the elements of shock and horror that followed for 1 hour 28 minutes, this reviewer has to admit that he agrees with the chosen cast, having satisfied by the acting they have shown.

Having said that, the beginning and the middle of the film is quite confusing for this reviewer to understand what the film is trying to say. It is not a stretch to say that it made the film draggy and the twists ineffective. In addition, the scenes are made of the usual cliches seen in other MIG produced films.

This reviewer thinks that the confusion may have stemmed from the lack of strong subplots to help pad out the main plot. The director and writer would have also done well to quicken the pacing of the movie instead of wasting time building up the atmosphere, such as red herring scares and needless drama.

However, despite the confusion and slow pacing, viewers will still be glued to their seats waiting for scenes after scene finding consolation in the comical dialogue and the special effects. On another note, Fezrul Khan, Puteri Mardiana and newcomer Shima Anuar's acting have definitely elevated "Sumpahan Kum-Kum" as one of the better MIG films and overall, the standard for future MIG films.

As a whole, this 54th MIG film was not the expected disappointment despite its lineup of relatively unknowns. Credit should be given to Ismail Bob Hashim for playing up their major strengths. As Major David Teo said, "Stars are created, not born".

Cinema Online, 30 January 2012