D Block Movie Review
Because of his previous success in these genres, Arulnithi always creates expectations when he decides to do thriller and horror films. While D Block falls into the same category, whether it lives up to his previous appearances is a big question here.
The film begins with a young girl being tortured and imprisoned. We are introduced to Arul, who has come to Coimbatore to attend an engineering college. Surprisingly, this story takes place in 2006, at a college in the middle of a dense forest. Because of this, students are advised not to leave the campus after hours. However, problems arise when this specific rule is not followed. When one of Arul's friends, Swathi, a Bharatanatyam dancer, dies, the management covers it up as a wild-animal attack. Arul tries to solve the mystery surrounding a series of girls who die or go missing in this pattern.
While the outline appears to be good, as the makers claim it is based on true events, the film and the characters lack depth, which is critical for a genre of this nature. D Block's problem is that it makes its antagonist invincible in every way, but the backstory falls flat, adding no value to his superiority. The first half gives us very few glimpses of the threat factor, instead focusing on the student's college lives. The film keeps its secrets until the intermission and then lets everything loose in the second half, making it a must-see.
Once the suspense is revealed, there are no thrills or major twists to keep the screenplay moving for nearly an hour. The way it builds up to the climax becomes tiresome, if not laughable. Though logic cannot be applied to horror or thriller films, it goes for a toss in this case, defeating the film's purpose.
Arulnithi, as usual, has the ability to hold an average film together, and he has done so admirably. The female characters in this film have a role to play and perform, and the romantic sequences with Shruthi (Avantika Mishra) are limited and do not disrupt the flow of the film. The supporting cast, which includes Thalaivasal Vijay, Ramesh Khanna, and Karu Palaniappan, fails to generate the necessary buzz for the film to succeed.
The technical aspects of the film appear to be very average and do not contribute to the film's mood. Erumi Saani Vijay Kumar, a popular YouTuber, makes his screenwriting debut with D Block, and he has a long way to go.