- BOTTOM LINE: Shallow Execution Kills Potentially Appealing Narrative
Rating: 4.5/10
Platform: ZEE5/ALTBalaji | Genre: Mystery/Thriller |
What Is the Story About?
When two civilians are killed in an encounter and branded as terrorists, a lawyer Monica Mehra is brought in to get a clean chit. What looked like a simple open and shut case, turns intriguing with certain happenings. What did Monica uncover and where the truth leads her is what Code M is all about?
Performances?
Jenifer Winget playing an army lawyer gets a tough-looking part with a kick-ass attitude. Right from the opening itself, we can see a put on body language that goes against the character that she is supposed to do. Still, it is not entirely a disappointment. Parts of it work, only due to the try-hard attitude of the actress.
Jenifer seems to be more at home in the romantic subplot and casual scenes not involving heavy-duty drama. The real acting moments come towards the end of the series, and she is passable in them. The climax dialogue exchange is a prime example.
Analysis
Akshay Chaubay directs Code M which is created by Juggernaut Productions. The basic premise of Code M is simple and within the army set up it is done a few times, in movies. Still, it is an exciting setting which can be updated to the current time.
The opening episode gives an idea of how the narrative is going to take place. It is the usual AltBalaji masala style. Unfortunately, it doesn’t suit the premise at critical points. Apart from the military track, there is a subplot involving love and marriage; it feels jarring.
The momentum really kicks in only towards the middle of the season when the dots (however, predictable) start to get connected. The ways they are brought together give a flimsy feeling. Some parts further appear silly in the way they are executed.
The real deal of the series is the final two episodes where the knockout punch is stored via the revelation of the suspense. While one of them is alright, the other feels forcefully shoehorned in for the sake of a something explosive. It seems entirely manipulative and needlessly done.
Still, at the end of it all, one can’t help but feel underwhelmed and disappointed with what has transpired. Some threads are shoddily ended with no real depth in them. The untidy and clumsy nature in which the whole thing is put together is the undoing of the series.
Overall, Code M is a forgettable series barring a few shocking revelations within the setup. It is not entirely unpredictable, but it works. The tacky and artificial execution gives it a killer blow.
Other Artists?
Code M consists of limited artists who do their parts decently. Rajat Kapoor easily stands out among them with his commanding presence. He manages to bring intensity to the proceeding which is missing with the rest.
Tanul Virwani is a likeable presence and his chemistry, in bits, with Jenifer provides minor relief in the narrative. Seema Biswas is wasted. Alekha Kapoor and Keshav Sadhna do their parts with sincerity. Both get a highly emotionally charged sequence, and they do it well there. B Shantanu, Kashyap Shangari and Anisa Butt are alright. The rest are fillers with nothing significant attached to them.
Music and Other Departments?
The background score is disastrous. It is cacophonous and adds to the jarring tone of the narrative. The cinematography is below par and doesn’t do justice to the setup. The editing is a proper companion work to the background score. The writing is shallow and fails in getting the seriousness in place required for the story.
Highlights?
Setup
A Couple of Twists
Ending
Drawbacks?
Shallow Writing
Background Score
Predictable Narrative
First Few Episodes
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Code M Review by Siddartha Toleti
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