Teka Teki Tika

One of Ernest Prakasa's disappointing films. This was Ernest's first time working on a detective-themed film, but unfortunately ended in an identity crisis. The genre is mixed between comedy, thriller, and mystery, there is also action at the last minute. The comedy that is thrown is not funny and doesn't fit the scene that should be serious. The plot that was prepared was also packaged as if it was a very plot twist, but what happened was forced. Too many clues are revealed at the end and don't make sense. The scene after the completion also suddenly jumps to the identity of the main character and then a new case appears without being revealed. But it's a shame that the chosen cast is quite well-known and top-notch, with supporting interiors and properties.

Once the trailer came out, I was hyped because finally Indonesia made this kind of genre. But when I watched this movie, I felt like everything was so half-assed. The mystery, the comedy, like, I had no idea what kind of movie was this supposed to be. The comedy was cringe af, I couldn't enjoy it. And they put it in the wrong times that resulted in ruining the thrilling vibes. The twists were forced. The actors played like they read the whole script.

I kinda loved the scoring, though. It's pretty good. The building too.

The title of the movie is tika's riddle, but the build up of the mystery is all over the place and the conclusion is a betrayal of expectation.

While the 1st act is great, everything falls down afterwards.

The plot twist doesn't add anything to the story, the unfolding of the plot and the uncovering of the mystery depend too much on the exposition, and the other characters' arc beside Tika and mr budiman is somewhat irrelevant to the main plot.

And the audacity to spend 1/5 duration at the end of the movie just to tease a spy-action-sequel tease... Oh my...

It would be better to expect/advertise this movie as drama comedy than thriller.

Truth to be told, I kinda expect to feel disappointed with Ernest Prakasa's attempt to expand his typical comedy fair by entering into a mystery-thriller scene. While not entirely working, with most of the excursion being done half-baked, the film actually is still an enjoyable treat. Just wish he cut short the film's epilogue, especially the definitely unnecessary action scene.

After watching it, I found it surprisingly enjoyable, though I couldn't help but laugh at its ending. The same goes for this mystery(?) film. Reviews from JAFF audiences were mixed, with most being negative. Despite my skepticism, I decided to watch it and brought my parents along, since they enjoyed Ernest's previous work, Imperfect. Here's what I thought after watching it:

The first 70 minutes, or the "prologue" of the film, were decent. By decent, I mean it was fairly watchable. The premise was interesting and engaging. The casting of the Budiman "Cindo" family was convincing, though I only really enjoyed Dion Wiyoko's performance (Tansri Kemala was acceptable for her acting debut). I also appreciated the interior design and cinematography. Notably, the film's comedy stood out, as Ernest is known for his skillful blend of humor in any situation.

However, the main issue lies in the film's logic. There were numerous questionable elements. For instance, why are the characters so distressed about paying a "blackmailer" 100 million rupiah when their house is likely worth tens of billions? To them, 100 million might be as insignificant as buying ayam geprek for us. Additionally, it's hard to believe that Ayu Laksmi is the only person handling housekeeping for such a large house.