For the first time in my life, I really have to admit that Puteri Gunung Ledang is so far the first Malaysian movie that contains all the right ingredients for a good and watchable movie. Truthfully, I have never liked any Malaysian-made movies before PGL, thinking that either the filmmakers here never actually bother for quality for the sake of money or perhaps, obviously, that they don't know the proper principles of film-making after all. When I decided to watch PGL a few weeks ago, I kept asking myself if this money was worth the ticket price. Fortunately, it was. Thanks to Teong Hin Saw's brilliant direction, PGL gives a refreshingly new perspective to the casual viewers and also fans of World History.Basically, it is a love story between Hang Tuah, the legendary Malay Warrior of Malacca and the Javanese princess Gusti Putri (the title character) whose relationship arouses the tensions between two worlds: the Sultanate of Malacca and the Majapahit Empire. The plot may be a bit straightforward but its production values makes a major leap over the previous Malaysian outings; you can safely assume that PGL is definitely a work of a pro. Great cinematography (forget about the Cameron Highlands issue), exhilarating camera moves and editing, decent fighting sequences and quality SFX prove it all. Casting, on the other side, is a mixed bag: some perform extremely well, expressing their powerful gestures convincingly while the rest are surprisingly wooden, leaving lots of rooms for improvement.It's true that PGL is not without flaws: the most obvious is the pacing of the entire movie and as a result, it is not a well balanced movie. The lack of any action sequence in the middle act makes the movie seem a bit draggy, filled with long (twisted for some viewers) conversations, tight focus upon the two lovers and other unnecessary slow-moving sequences. Unlike any international epic movies you have seen, PGL is rated 'G', suitable for the whole family, which basically means that it contains no forms of profanity or suggestive elements that may otherwise prove sensitive to some viewers. This only cheapens the maturity of this movie: for me, the whole movie, despite excellent production values, feels mild and unsatisfying as if I ate a half-baked cake. PGL could have been a great contender in any film festival if a) it were a bit more sensual (ala Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), b) more violent (ala Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy), c) more thought-provoking and visually more disturbing (ala Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind). Despite these inevitable drawbacks, the Malaysian film industry seems to be taking the right path and this is just the beginning. For now, PGL feels like a good movie. Not phenomenal, though.

I was overawed when I saw this movie. It was beyond expectation. A malay movie finally as good as any blockbuster Hollywood movie! Pundits will say that the storyline is not true to history but this movie remind me of the greatest movie of all time "The Titanic" - itself a love story set against a historical incident. As in the movie Titanic, the storyline is fictional though based on legendary malay figures. Though the movie could have been improved somewhat overall it is the greatest malay movie of all time. The opening intro of Hang Tuah was commendable, however I feel the character could have been developed more to show his silat prowess and mystique in the malay community. Tiara Jacqueline is perfect as the princess. She is drop dead gorgeous. Though there are censorship limitations nevertheless I felt more could have been explored in her love story with Hang Tuah.Syabas Puteri Gunung Ledang, I salute you.

Watching this movie with the greatest expectations of not being disappointed is usually the priority of watching any Malaysian movie. Similar can be said to other Malaysian movies like Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam and Seri Dewi Malam. But the outcome of Puteri Gunung Ledang (PGL) is extremely good, if not beyond the expectations that is for a Malaysian Film.M. Nasir has finally set the record straight, and the bar for playing Hang Tuah. I can no longer see anyone else play the coveted role of a Malay hero than he can. His portrayal of the righteous hero is played so well that most people that have watched him almost believed that he is Hang Tuah.Tiara Jaquelina played the role of Gusti Putri quite well. Her portrayal of a Majapahit Hindu royalty although not really as good as Nasir's portrayal of Hang Tuah is still notable. Some critics would call her a stick on screen but is that what royalties do? Look at the portrayal Queen Elizabeth I, or Lady Jane Seymour of England. They are as much as a stick as Gusti Putri was. Nothing more can be said about her.Christine Hakim was in my own personal view played the most prominent character in the life of Gusti Putri although her appearance in the movie was only for the first 15 minutes of the movie. She made Gustri Putri sound more Malaysian than Indonesian which in turn strengthens her character. Unfortunately her character was ended early which was most unfortunate.Skipping the other characters and side-winding to the aspects of direction of the movie I find that it is very well orchestrated by Teong Hin Saw. He made PGL so beautiful directed that you could not believe it is made by a Malaysian. He was, no, is the perfect choice for the helm of PGL.For the bad part of the movie. Effects for PGL is almost overwhelming that you can see that most of the effects can be seen as, well, fake. Except for the fight scene (SPOILER WARNING!!!) of Gusti Adipati & Hang Tuah, all other effects for the movie is, OK.What is most striking about the movie is the usage of variable camera angles that is almost not used or very badly used in other Malaysian movies. The usage of the classic Malay language and Java scripts is a great plus since it it drives the movie-goers to listen carefully to the spoken word. It is simply awe inspiring.Overall, PGL is worthy of an international release. This could be the landmark and a beginning for more and better Malaysian movies IF and ONLY IF the Malaysian directors and producers are willing to experiment, research and spend lots of money like our Hollywood counterparts do.

Puteri Gunung Ledang the most highly anticipated movie of the year has finally decided to make its appearance. The film managed to fulfill the audience's expectation on it. Credits have to be given to all the crew of the film who I can see had been working very hard to ensure the movie's success. The setting, the cinematography, the colours, the background music complementing each other and thus deliver this movie to a class of its own.Thumbs up to M.Nasir as the Lord Admiral Hang Tuah. He has given a different interpretation to the elusive Hang Tuah. His facial expression very much reflected the turmoil of emotions between his "cinta agung" and his loyalty to his Sultan. Tiara as the beautiful princess of Mount Ledang has done her best to envelope herself into the character and she has done it well. The unspoken bond between the princess and Hang Tuah was clearly prevailed by her eyes, smile and gesture as they were united by the waterfall.Overall, it is a good film and thumbs up to the script writer for the very poetic dialogue especially the dialogue between Hang Tuah and the princess when they expressed their undying love for each other. It is a sad love story and I couldn't help myself shedding a tear or two for the two lovers who had to endure so much for the sake of their "cinta agung"Kudos to the whole production of Puteri Gunung Ledang!