Writer: Hafizatul Baharudin

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Watch this if you liked: "Aquamarine"

Costing RM 1.4 million to make, "Duhai Si Pari-Pari" (DSPP) is the last local film to be released in 2009. Presenting a 'fairy tale comedy', this film is taken in stride by first-time director, Azmi Md Hata. The casting of stars such as Que Haidar and Liyana Jasmay was said to have sparked Azmi to realise his vision of a love story along the lines of Arabian Nights tale "Aladdin" and also as a sort-of 'gift' to the audience.

The film tells of a fairy, Si Pari (Liyana Jasmay) who lives in the heavens and comes down to Earth to find her true love and meets a naive man named Syadon (Que Haidar). However, Syadon is obsessed with Mala (Nabila Huda) who has some cunning plans up her sleeves. Just like the tagline of the film, 'Cerita Cinta Biasa Tetapi Luar Biasa' (An Ordinary Love Story, But Extraordinary), it bears the theme of love between two people of different worlds and also of a father and child relationship.

Que Haidar, previously known for tackling on emotional roles, comes across a little stiff playing the funny, naive character in this film. Moreover, the pairing of Que with the 22nd Malaysian Film Festival (FFM22) Best Actress Award winner, Liyana Jasmay made them seem more like brother and sister than a pair of lovers. Ironically similar to Liyana's debut album "Aku Tak Percaya Cinta" (I Don't Believe In Love). Liyana's performance lacked 'oomph', probably due to the film's romantic genre which is not what she's used to. Apart from Que, Liyana, and Harun, DSPP is also supported by Nabila Huda, Remy Ishak, Dato' Aziz Satar, and special appearances by Zizan Raja Lawak, Farid Kamil, and Hans Isaac.

Unfortunately, the computer generated images (CGI) in DSPP appears amateurish and doesn't seem to be compatible with the story. For example, the scene where Para dresses up as an astronaut in the bathroom, random flowers appearing in mid-air counting down Pari's time left on earth to find true love, and the combat scene between Para and Budi (Remy Ishak).

Even though the CGI may fail to capture your attention, the pairing of Que Haidar and Liyana Jasmay is sure to pull you into cinemas. Inspired by the tale of Aladdin, this film is suitable for local audience's taste as a family film, especially for children and teens who love fairy tales.

Cinema Online, 30 December 2009