Gundala (Film)

***Gundala*** is a 2019 Indonesian superhero film based on the comics character Gundala created by Harya “Hasmi” Suraminata in 1969, co-produced by Screenplay Films and BumiLangit Studios, and distributed by Legacy Pictures. It is the first installment in the BumiLangit Cinematic Universe (BCU). The film is directed and written by Joko Anwar, and stars Abimana Aryasatya as Sancaka / Gundala, alongside Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Ario Bayu, Cecep Arif Rahman, Rio Dewanto, and Muzakki Ramdhan. The first official news about the film was announced on April 4, 2018 on social media accounts of its director and production houses. At Indonesia Comic Con on October 28, 2018, a press conference was held to introduce the main casts and the first look video of the film with a release date set around mid 2019. Filming has been done in September throughout October 2018. *Gundala* had its local premiere on August 28, 2019, and released in Indonesia on August 29, 2019. It had its International premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2019. The film received positive reviews from audience and critics with praise for Abimana's performance, Anwar's direction, visual effects, costume design and originality.

## Plot

The film is set in a Javanese city where corruption and income inequality dominate people's lives. Sancaka - a gifted young tinkerer - is the son of a impoverished factory worker struggling to make ends meet. Sancaka's father leads other workers in protests against low wages - leading to intense violence between the workers and riot police - but in the final protest, workers bribed by their bosses kill him, and he dies in Sancaka's arms. In a rage, Sancaka inexplicably releases lightning blasts from his body, then falls unconscious. One year later, Sancaka's mother leaves to another city to find work, promising to return the next day but never doing so.

This turn of events leaves Sancaka wandering alone on the streets of Jakarta, living off busking and fending off street bullies and thugs, until he is saved by Awang, an older street kid. Sancaka lives with Awang for a period of time, learning how to defend himself as well as how to not intervene with other people's problems. The pair plans to depart by freighthopping. When the train arrives, Awang manages to leap onto it, but Sancaka is unable to catch up and is left alone once again.

Many years later, the now-adult Sancaka works as a security guard and part-time mechanic in a printing factory. The majority of the country's corrupt legislature is controlled by the ruthless, physically deformed crime boss Pengkor, who commands an army of orphans raised as assassins. Pengkor was severely burnt by the fire that killed his parents and was sent by his uncle to an abusive orphanage. The orphans, led by Pengkor, rose up and murdered the staff, and Pengkor killed his uncle. Pengkor plots to poison the nation's rice supply with a drug that targets the unborn children of pregnant women, affecting their ability to differentiate good and bad. Pengkor arranges for the poisoning to be video-recorded and released through the media. Panicked, the people demand the legislative to release an untested antidote formulated by a pharmaceutical company to the public. The debate splits the legislative into two factions: one is led by legislator Ridwan Bahri and his 'Rumah Perdamaian' colleagues who want to pass a bill to distribute the antidote en masse, and the other is controlled by Pengkor and his allies, who are against distributing it.

One day, Sancaka helps his neighbour Wulan fend off some thugs who are harassing her. The thugs retaliate by attacking him at night after his shift at the factory and toss him off the roof. However, a bolt of lightning strikes Sancaka's unconscious body, reviving him and awakening his superhuman powers. Wulan leads a group of insurgent market vendors against the harassing thugs. After using his powers against some of the thugs, Sancaka is asked by Wulan to help her defend the market. Sancaka refuses, not yet convinced that he is the hero that they need, but when the thugs burn down the market, Sancaka rises up to defend them. With the help of Wulan, Teddy (Wulan's little brother), and Pak Agung (Sancaka's fellow security guard), Sancaka learns to control his powers and creates a makeshift costume to harness his lightning powers. With that, Sancaka starts fighting and defeating the thugs, inspiring the people as a symbol of hope to rise up and stand together against the thugs' attacks.

One of the thugs defects and informs Sancaka and Wulan that they have witnessed famous violinist Adi Sulaiman in the market at the night of the burning, suspecting him as the one who started the fire. Sancaka approaches Sulaiman, but Sulaiman turns hysterically violent and attacks Sancaka with his violin bow, revealing himself to be one of Pengkor's orphan assassins. While evading Sancaka's attacks, Sulaiman is struck and killed by a passing bus.

Sancaka's heroics and Sulaiman's death alerts Pengkor, who unleashes his orphan sleeper agents in many positions across the nation, including the hysterical Desti Nikita, the supermodel Mutiara Jenar, the doctor Cantika, the strongman Tanto Ginanjar, the powerful hypnotist Kamal, and the traditional dancer Swara Batin. The assassins kill a number of Rumah Perdamaian members, but when Swara Batin attacks Ridwan, Sancaka appears and defeats him.

The legislature passes the bill on the antidote, but Bahri is then shocked to discover that Pengkor has set them up. The alleged poison is non-lethal; it is the antidote that is poisonous, with the pharmaceutical company revealed to be owned by one of Pengkor's shell companies. Bahri asks Sancaka to stop the distribution, but Pengkor and his assassins attack Sancaka in the factory before he manages to do so. The battle reaches the rooftop of the factory, where Pengkor seizes Pak Agung, Wulan, and Teddy with the intent of killing them in front of Sancaka, who is hypnotized by Kamal. Wulan's cries snaps Sancaka out of the hypnotism, and he unleashes his lightning powers, defeating most of the assassins, but Pak Agung is stabbed. As Pengkor is about to strike Sancaka from behind, Bahri arrives and fatally shoots Pengkor. Sancaka catches up up with the distribution convoy and tries to stop them but is shot by one of the drivers. The convoy is supernaturally stopped by a mysterious woman, and Sancaka uses his lightning powers to break all the antidote bottles in the city.

Meanwhile, Pengkor’s partner Ghazul breaks open an ancient tomb buried inside the walls of the city's museum and the seal of a container containing an old severed head, using the blood of Sancaka he took earlier from one of the fights. He combines the body and the head, resurrecting Ki Wilawuk, a powerful evil from ancient times, and tells him of Sancaka, calling him 'Gundala' (lit. 'Thunder' in ancient Javanese). Ki Wilawuk orders Ghazul to gather his army, for a great war is coming.

In a mid-credits scene, Gundala meets Bahri on a rooftop and thanks him for providing an upgraded, more advanced costume. From afar, the mysterious woman who stopped the convoy earlier observes them, and is revealed to be the superhero Sri Asih.

## Cast

* Abimana Aryasatya as Sancaka/Gundala: A security guard who was struck by lightning, giving him superhuman powers and turning him into the superhero Gundala. Muzakki Ramdhan portrays Young Sancaka.
* Tara Basro as Sedhah Esti Wulan: Sancaka's neighbour and love interest. She inspires Sancaka to take up the responsibility as a superhuman and a hero.
* Bront Palarae as Pengkor: A disfigured mafia boss controlling the city's underworld. Pengkor was disfigured when he was a child after his father's plantation workers burned down their house, leaving him bitter and vowing revenge on the world. *Pengkor* means "limp" in Indonesian.
* Ario Bayu as Ghazul: Ghazul appeared to be Pengkor's partner and confidant at first, but was bent on world domination himself. The character remained nameless for most of the film, only revealing his name to Ki Wilawuk at the end of the movie. Ghazul is one of Gundala's most famous nemesis from the comics.
* Lukman Sardi as Ridwan Bahri: A politician allied to Sancaka and the leader of Rumah Perdamaian.
* Fariz Fadjar as Young Awang: Sancaka's fellow street kid who taught him how to fight. Awang would grow up to become the superhero Godam, to be portrayed by Chicco Jericho in future movies.
* Aqi Singgih as Ganda Hamdan: Pengkor and Ghazul's subordinate in the legislature.

Rio Dewanto and Marissa Anita portray Sancaka's father and mother respectively. Hannah Al Rashid portrays Cantika/Camar, Daniel Adnan portrays Tanto Ginanjar, Cornelio Sunny portrays The Painter, Asmara Abigail portrays Desti Nikita, and Kelly Tandiono portrays Mutiara Jenar/Bidadari Mata Elang, all of which are members of Pengkor's orphan assassins. Some of these characters would have bigger roles in future Bumilangit Universe movies.

Additionally, Zidni Hakim portrays Dirga Utama, a young legislative member opposing Pengkor, while long-time Indonesian choreographer Arie Tulang portrays Kamal Atmaja, a powerful hypnotist allied to Pengkor. Indonesian comedian Aming portrays Sam Buadi, another of Pengkor's assassins, a carver. Donny Alamsyah and Tanta Ginting portrays Fadli Aziz and Ito Marbun respectively, two of the leading thugs. Indonesian presenter and radio personality Dimas Danang plays Hasbi, Ridwan's assistant, while martial artist and fight choreographer Cecep Arif Rahman portrays Swara Batin, one of Pengkor's main assassins.

A couple of cameos appeared near the end of the movie with Pevita Pearce portraying the superheroine Sri Asih, while legendary Indonesian musician, actor, and artist Sudjiwo Tedjo portrays Ki Wilawuk, who appears set to be the universe's main villain.

## Background

In 1981, the popularity of the *Gundala* comics in Indonesia reached the big screen. By purchasing a license from the author, PT. Cancer Mas Film visualizes the comic to a film titled *Gundala Putra Petir* ("Gundala the Son of Lightning"), directed by Lilik Sudjio. The actor who was appointed as Ir. Sancaka or Gundala is Teddy Purba who was famous as one of the Indonesian action stars at that time. His mortal enemy, Ghazul was played by the character actor W. D. Mochtar, while Sancaka's lovers, Minarti played by Anna Tairas. Other actors and actresses involved in the film include Ami Priyono, August Melasz, Pitrajaya Burnama, H.I.M. Damsyik, Gordon Subandono, A. Hamid Arief, Rini Ratih, Dewanti, and Ratno Timoer. Even though the setting was changed from the setting on the comics, the film remained faithful to storytelling based on comics written by Hasmi. It was told that an engineer named Sancaka managed to find the anti-lightning formula. Unfortunately this discovery resulted in Sancaka having to break up with her lover Minarti due to forgetting to attend her birthday. In the midst of sadness and heavy rain, Sancaka was struck by lightning and carried over to the world of Emperor Kronz. There, he was given the power and costume that turned him into Gundala. Meanwhile, the circulation of narcotics by a group of organizations led by Ghazul began to run rampant. That is when the battle between good against evil began.

In 2010, Iskandar Salim, a photographer and graphic designer, created promotional material for a movie that was not being made about Gundala, because he noticed that there had never been a movie featuring an Indonesian superhero and wished to start a public debate on the subject. He created an official website, a Facebook page, posters, and staged photographs that allegedly showed the movie being made. As a result of the attention generated by the hoax, Gundala's creator, Hasmi became involved in negotiations to produce a real film based on the character.

## Production

### Development

BumiLangit Studios as the owner of Gundala Intellectual Property has been developing the idea of making *Gundala* movie since 2014. The search for the right director and scriptwriter for *Gundala* film was not easy, and took BumiLangit years to finally find the perfect match. Then in 4 April 2018, Joko Anwar was announced to be the writer and the director for the film. He is one of Indonesia's most prolific and celebrated film directors.

Joko Anwar admitted that the scriptwriting process of *Gundala* film was the hardest work during his career. He usually spent 1–2 months on a scriptwriting process, but eventually spent 7 months for this project. Reinterpreting the original origin from its 1969 comic, he reworked the story in a way that could attract millennials and centennials. Hasmi's comics and notes about Gundala helped him to write the script.

### Pre-production

Joko Anwar felt that Abimana Aryasatya is the perfect actor to portray Sancaka / Gundala due to both of his vulnerable and strong aura. After several attempts, Joko finally convinced Abimana and he finally accepted the offer.

Gundala costume was a teamwork effort between Iwan Nazif (Bumilangit Creative Engine) and Chris Lie (Caravan Studio). The production was handled by Quantum Creations FX based in Los Angeles, known for their works in *Daredevil*, *Watchmen*, *Supergirl*, *The Hunger Games*, *Star Trek*, and *Iron Man*.

### Filming

The filming process for *Gundala* took 53 days in 70 locations, including Jakarta, Cilegon and Purwakarta, involving 1,500 extras and 300 film crew. Principal photography began in Purwakarta on September 1, 2018, with Ical Tanjung serving as director of photography. Filming wrapped on October 31, 2018.

### Post-production

Post-production began in November 2018 and was completed around June 2019. *Gundala* film involved many of the best film workers in Indonesia, one of them being Khikmawan Santosa who often won the Best Sound Designer award at the prestigious Indonesian Film Festival. *Gundala* was one of his last projects before he passed away on May 11, 2019.

## Music

One of the soundtrack complementing this film was the 1962 song "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis. The production team agreed that the lyrics represent the main theme of the film; when many people in a country do not upheld justice, they will head on towards the "end of the world".

## Marketing

A first look video of *Gundala* film was shown at Indonesia Comic Con on October 28, 2018. The first teaser released on the official YouTube channel of Screenplay Films on April 12, 2019. A month later, the official poster revealed on May 28, 2019.

In order to raise public awareness regarding *Gundala* film, M&C! and Koloni publisher will publish two types of *Gundala* comics, remastering version of *Gundala* classic comics (published in July 2019) and *Gundala* comics adaptation from the story conveyed in the film (published in August 2019). The remastering version is targeting the original *Gundala* comics’ fans back in 1970s–1980s and collector of Indonesian old school comics, while the adaptation version is targeting Indonesian millennials who were not aware of *Gundala* character before. *Gundala* comics will also be available in a digital form on WEBTOON, targeting Indonesian teenagers who frequently accessed the platform. Koloni, along with Gramedia and BumiLangit, will also hold several roadshows around Indonesia. The *Gundala* film roadshow began on June 15, 2019 in Jakarta.

## Release

*Gundala* had its local premiere on August 28, 2019, and released in Indonesia on August 29, 2019. It had its International premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2019. It was acquired by Premiere Entertainment Group, who began shopping the film to domestic and international buyers at the AFM on November 9, 2019. On April 30, 2020, Well Go USA Entertainment announced it would be releasing *Gundala* via digital, Blu-ray, and DVD in North America on July 28, 2020.

## Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 100% approval rating based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10.

*Variety'*s Richard Kuipers wrote that the film is "an action-packed and emotionally satisfying adaptation of the treasured Indonesian comicbook created by Harya "Hasmi" Suraminata." Victor Stiff from ThatShelf.com praised the film, stating, "From beginning to end, Gundala delivers fast and furious action and rarely stops to take its foot off the gas."