Pluto movie review: Neeraj Madhav, Althaf Salim’s quirky sci-fi comedy is short on laughs

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When a ‘loser’ meets an alcoholic alien

But one major failure costs Vicky quite a bit, and he slowly begins to feel he may actually be a “loser,” as others say. Amid this, he finds a mysterious person (Althaf Salim), whom Vicky soon realises is an alien who has lost his spacecraft. They slowly become friends, and he names the alien Pluto. Meanwhile, ‘notorious’ local criminal “Tiger” Thambi (Aju Varghese) learns about the alien and his spacecraft and is determined to get hold of both. The remainder of the film follows Vicky’s efforts to keep Pluto safe.

Pluto definitely had potential, since its story is pretty much like most other sci-fi/fantasy films where a person stumbles upon an otherworldly being. While the finder might initially be shocked upon seeing the alien/genie/ghost, this emotion soon turns to intrigue, which then transforms into camaraderie as time passes, paving the way for tireless efforts to help the being return home. And such movies always end on a happy note.

From ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), PK (2014), and Paul (2011) to Koi… Mil Gaya (2003) and Earth to Echo (2014), we have seen this story so many times. Hence, all Pluto needed were plot devices to keep viewers hooked — a few original ideas that create intriguing moments, genuine laughs, and maybe stir up a few emotions. But the sci-fi comedy fails in ensuring that.

Novel ideas scattered across a mediocre script

Even though there are a few novel ideas in the narrative — such as an alien with almost no stereotypical superpowers, who consumes only liquor for food, and had to run away from home after failing an exam, et al — the makers never manage to use these to elevate the film. Instead, they simply exist scattered across Pluto’s mediocre script, penned by Niyas Muhammed.

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Since it’s clear that the director and writer consciously have avoided taking the story to a highly emotional terrain, maintaining a light-hearted tone, they should have focused significantly on comedy. However, owing to the absence of humour that generates genuine laughter, one might find oneself sitting through the movie quite emotionless. Although a few moments might make one crack up, such instances are quite rare.

One of the major shortcomings of Pluto is that it always seems as if it is holding itself back from taking an absolute plunge into absurdity. Although there are moments when one can see how bizarrely amusing the film could have been had writer Niyas Muhammed let the story loose, allowing it to frolic in silliness and be unapologetically caricatured, he rarely offers Pluto such liberties. Instead, the sci-fi film mostly ends up as a normal comedy. In such a scenario, the writer should have ensured better jokes, one-liners, and comedic moments that could make one laugh. However, he fails to do so.

Pluto may have worked better had the roles of the central men been played by younger actors. (Credit: Instagram/@pluto.movie)

For instance, the resemblance in “Tiger” Thambi’s appearance to Detective Jamban from the popular comic series Jambanum Thumbanum, published in the children’s magazine Balarama, had immense potential. Although the character has been crafted cartoonishly, Niyas never quite makes the best use of Thambi’s strengths.

The same can be said about Pluto. Once the script establishes the character and gives him a few traits, the movie revolves around those traits, never attempting to explore him further or add depth. For instance, during a fight sequence, we see that Pluto can turn back time by 60 seconds using his spacecraft. While this appears fascinating the first time, the movie keeps using it repeatedly for the next minute or so, and by the time Pluto moves on, our initial intrigue has completely dried up.

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Even though the visual language created by director Adithyan Chandrashekar and cinematographer Vishnu Sarma resembles comics — with cuts, occasional on-screen text, and special effects underscoring the same — this is predominantly absent in the writing. As a result, there is an evident gap between the visuals and the script.

Even though Vicky and Pluto are largely together throughout, there are almost no memorable moments featuring them, let alone ones that show how much they mean to each other. Did Vicky matter to Pluto beyond being his sole source for liquor? Did Vicky actually care for Pluto beyond the intrigue factor? Although the movie tries to maintain, towards the end, that they hold a special place in each other’s hearts, there are almost no instances in the script that organically highlight this.

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Slick editing can’t save a hesitant comedy

Also, Pluto may have worked better had the central characters been played by younger actors. The sort of elasticity that a performer ought to have while portraying such characters — where they have to be as cartoonish as possible, making the best use of their young physique — is almost absent in Neeraj Madhav and Althaf Salim. There are quite a few scenes when it appears that they are trying very hard to fit into their roles. Among the actors, only Aju Varghese impresses with his performance, despite the limitations of his underexplored character.

Sanath Sivaraj’s editing deserves immense praise for uplifting the otherwise mediocre Pluto by cartoonising the visuals on many occasions. He also brings vibrance to the chaotic scenes, despite the makers’ hesitation to explore their full scope. Arcado’s music and original score are also solid.

Pluto movie cast: Neeraj Madhav, Althaf Salim, Aju Varghese, Aarsha Chandini Baiju
Pluto movie director: Adithyan Chandrashekar
Pluto movie rating: 2 stars