Since subscribing to Netflix, I rarely go to the cinema, but as a 90s kid, watching the long-awaited sequel of Incredibles was a given. However, I realized it won’t be a good idea to watch it in the cinema with the endless lines of families and crying kids in the booking line. Fair enough, it’s a family movie after all, so I should just go some other time at midnight.
I remember I was excited to watch Karma when I first saw the trailer, and I was disappointed when I heard that it won’t be screening in Egypt. The trailer was interesting, and the return of the power duo, Khaled Youssef, and Amr Saad was promising, not to mention that I’m a huge Khaled El Sawy Fan. Since I found out it’s back in Egyptian cinemas, then here I go. Do not worry, nothing in this review would spoil the movie for you in any way, just my thoughts after watching it. To begin with, brace yourself, as the movie is indeed very long, but not by any chance boring; you’ll be thrilled and hooked throughout the entire show.
The idea is simply stunning, and its execution demonstrates why Khaled Youssef is a leading name in movie direction and production. The movie will take you to two parallel lives embodied by the talented Amr Saad, who aced the two roles perfectly. Saad didn’t only succeed to embody the two different characters perfectly, he also succeeded to make us laugh, cry, and develop a bond towards the two roles.
The contrast between the two lives tackles super intense topics in a dense yet entertaining way; politics, religion, economics, philosophy, and psychology. The movie will force you to think about the themes and ideas included; like solipsism, unfair wealth distribution, comparative religion, Sufism, and individualism while being eager to see what it still has in store. At a time you might feel it’s a light romantic comedy movie like the “Change Up”, and at other times you’d feel it’s an intense dark thriller movie like “An American Psycho” or “The Machinist”.
Some characters needed more development though; was surprised at how brief was Wafaa Amer’s role, and how one-dimensional was Maged el Masry’s villain role. Other than that, nearly everything was amazing, from the music, locations, decorations, script, even the outfits of the characters. Zeina, Khaled El Sawy, and Dalal Abdelaziz definitely aced their roles; giving the movie more life and depth.
One of the things that I definitely love about the movie, is that everyone could understand it in his own way, guaranteeing to spark an interesting debate between you and your friends after it ends. Check it out and let us know what you think, I promise it’s more than what you might have guessed from the trailer.