MALAYSIA’S No. 1 teen spy finally gets his cinematic adventure, and it’s so much more epic than his TV series which began three years ago. Ejen Ali has grown since then, and his child-like mannerisms have made way for that of an angsty young man.
Even his voice has become manlier, in tandem with his increasing height and bravado.
As for the special effects, they have improved by leaps and bounds. The buildings in Ali’s hometown, the futuristic Cyberaya, look more realistic, likewise the characters’ facial expressions, skin texture and even the movement of hair or fur, as in the case of feline Ejen Comot.
The many explosions that keep audiences on the edge of their seats sound real too, likewise the sparks and lasers from the heroes’ and villains’ futuristic weapons.
Ejen Ali The Movie marks the beginning of our teen hero’s third season, and his creator Usamah Zaid Yasin now takes viewers into his family history. Over the last two seasons, fans were left wondering who Ali’s mysterious mother Alia is. Could she be a former Meta Advance Tactical Agency (Mata) agent, Cyberaya’s secret agency? This movie finally reveals the answer.
It continues Ali’s journey of self-discovery immediately after the conclusion of Season 2’s final episode. Here, Ali has got the hang of being a super spy, having been accidentally recruited in the very beginning.
Despite being seen as a “spoilt brat” by some of the senior agents, such as cocky Ejen Fit, fearsome trainer Ejen Ganz and brutal Mata commander General Rama, Ali has fully embraced his role in Mata. And he is 100 per cent devoted to protecting it from outside threats, human or alien.
Ali (Ida Rahayu Yusoff) is now surprised to discover that he is no longer the only master of the Infinity Retinal Intelligence System (Iris) gadget which he has always utilised with great results. This is because Mata has now upgraded Iris to Iris Neo for all of its agents and two of Ali’s seniors, Datuk Farid Kamil look-alike Ejen Fit and Balinese warrior look-alike Ejen Bobby, have been tasked with handling it.
Ali feels that since he handled Iris, Iris Neo should be his device as well. As a result, he begins to question his place and usefulness to the agency. Despite being persuaded by his kind and understanding uncle, Ejen Bakar, Ali decides to leave Mata. His decision is prompted by his discovery of hooded vigilante Niki.
With his super scooter that flies, Ali gives chase to Niki’s powerful motorcycle around Cyberaya, leaping over bridges and high-speed trains in the process. He soon discovers the urban slum Pinggiran and its humble residents who enjoy the benefits of state-of-the-art technology, installed by Niki, a self-taught technological genius.
Niki and her “family” make Ali feel at home in Pinggiran, and she tells him how Cyberaya’s cocky mayor Datuk Othman and his multinational company bulldozed the once idyllic village in the name of development and progress, leading to the loss of her parents in a tragic accident.
Ali slowly begins to get Niki’s drift, especially after she tells him about her close friendship with Alia, her “one and only friend and teacher”.
Risking his loyalty to Mata, Ali joins Niki and her friends from the slum on several missions to “hijack” high-technology gadgets and weapons from various businessmen (especially the corrupt ones), and it is not long after that General Rama learns that Ali has gone rogue.
Torn between family and duty, Ali must now make an important choice — to protect his hometown from all forms of terrorism and anarchy, or join Niki and her friends who have vowed to fight to “change the system”. In the process, he learns several important life lessons about his mother and Mata, and becomes stronger and wiser.
Ejen Ali The Movie is as much Alia’s story as it is Ali’s. In fact, the first 20 minutes of the movie focuses solely on the friendship between Alia and Niki, and shows how the two “women warriors” corner a multinational corporation’s workers at Cyberaya’s port.
In this exciting scene reminiscent of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Arrow, their acrobatic moves complete with explosive yo-yos and flying blades, are a sight to behold. Alia, whose whereabouts is only revealed towards the end of the film, is a technological genius with an idealistic streak.
She befriends the crippled Niki (Nabilah Rais), and trains her to become a “tech bandit” who robs multinational corporations of their state-of-the-art technology for the use of Pinggiran’s impoverished and neglected residents.
Both of them vow to build a better version of Cyberaya, where nobody is left impoverished and wanting. Despite being overshadowed by his mother and her childhood buddy, Ali steals the show with his schoolboyish sense of fun.His latest adventure may have a darker tone than the series, and he falls into serious self-doubt for the larger part of the story but young fans will no doubt root for him, as they will see him as a more “human” character than the two-dimensional superboy that he normally is.
Niki, who has an uncanny resemblance to singer-songwriter Yuna (sans the turban) is a welcome addition to the Ejen Ali universe. She may be a “baddie” on the surface but fans will identify with her as a Green Arrow-style social justice warrior, albeit one who has gone too far to the left. Stylish in all of her fight scenes, her final showdown with Ali towards the end of the movie is simply amazing. Both characters share common values of fighting for justice, yet they have chosen to operate on different sides of the law.
Some fans may root for Team Ali while others may root for Team Niki. Perhaps Ali and Niki will meet again on the small screen or in future movies.
As for the supporting characters, Bakar (Mohd Shafiq Mohd Isa) and Rama’s no-nonsense daughter Ejen Alicia (Noorhayati Maslini Omar) truly stands out. Bakar, Mata’s resident muscleman with a soft heart, is kind to Ali. Alicia, a miniature warrior princess with formidable slingshots and stylish kicks, bears an uncanny resemblance to Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter adventures.
The most hilarious of the agents are a team of Indian waiters and cooks at Ali’s favourite roti canai restaurant, Restoran Maju. Led by Ejen Vikram (Azuan Wanji), they love teasing Bakar, Alicia and Ali and often try to “matchmake” the two despite Alicia’s hot temper and Ali’s indifference.
The roti canai agents are at their most entertaining when they use state-of-the-art gadgets which resemble kitchenware and dishes during the climactic confrontation with Niki and her gang outside Mata’s headquarters. Here, they parody several Kollywood movies, especially Rajinikanth’s Kabali and RA One.
Even General Rama may have been modelled after the formidable Rajinikanth, especially his curly moustache and fearsome eyes. Fans may be left wondering what happened to the young Mata agents who often joined Ali on his weekly TV adventures. Director Usamah gives a little hint towards the end of the movie, so viewers are advised not to leave the cinema hall until the end credits have stopped rolling.
Ejen Ali The Movie is a major milestone for Malaysian animation. It may not be as cheerful and optimistic as Upin & Ipin: Keris Siamang Tunggal or Boboiboy The Movie but its dark and angsty ambience can be “cool” in the eyes of teenagers. And while it has left several important questions from the second season unanswered, it is a blast from the word “go”.
So all you Ejen Ali fans, get your tickets fast and, “bertindak segera” (act fast) as General Rama would say.
EJEN ALI THE MOVIE
DIRECTOR Usamah Zaid Yasin
FEATURING VOICES OF Ida Rahayu Yusoff, Mohd Shafiq Mohd Isa, Noorhayati Maslini Omar, Abu Shafian Abdul Hamid, Nabilah Rais, Altimet, Amir Mustaqim, Azman Zulkiply, Megat Zarin, Ahmad Sufian Mazilan, Haziq Khushairi, Azuan Wanji
DURATION 90 minutes
RATING U