After 20 years of the modern superhero boom, superheroines have finally hit the upswing. There was 2004’s Catwoman and 2005’s Elektra which got the cold shoulder from audiences and critics, but they also led to female crimefighters unfairly getting the boot from studios themselves. However, they have made it past the glass ceiling through the likes of 2017’s Wonder Woman, 2019’s Captain Marvel, and the Supergirl TV series among others.
Still, Marvel and DC are not the only comic companies making superheroines. In Indonesia, Sarjono Sutrisno, Aswin MC Siregar, and Ian Waryanto created Valentine, a purple-clad vigilante, for Skylar Comics in 2012. Unlike Marvel – a comics company that got into films – Skylar Comics branched off from Sutrisno’s own film company Skylar Pictures. So, when it came time to bring Valentine to the silver screen, it did not have to travel far to find a crew. Ubay Fox (Roh Fasik 2019) and Agus Pestol (Arwah Noni Belanda 2019) took care of the direction, while they worked from a screenplay written by Beby Hasibuan (The Witness 2012).
Valentine tells the story of Srimaya (Estelle Linden: They Who Are Not Seen 2017), a humble café waitress in Batavia City who dreams of becoming an actor between taking orders. She gets her chance when she meets Film Director Bono (Matthew Settle: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer 1998) and his friend Wawan (Arie Dagienkz: Garasi 2006) who offer her the role of a lifetime. They would like her to become Valentine – the first reality TV superhero. She can hold her own against hoodlums, but when the masked supervillain Shadow rises, is it a step too far?
Titled as Valentine: The Dark Avenger, it will be released by Shout Factory Home Entertainment on DVD, Blu-Ray, and the major VOD and digital platforms on May 14th, 2019. ShoutFactory.com is even offering pre-orders. Is it a wonder worth going that far? Or is it an Asylum-level blunder? Originally released in late 2017 as just Valentine, it gained a subtitle in its journey to the west to play off the Avengers series of films.
While there is some sense in hitching up to the hype train that is Avengers: Endgame, Valentine is no mere mockbuster. For one, the production has a decent amount of cash behind it. The visuals are clean and clear. While the editing provides a smooth-enough flow to the scenes, particularly during the frenetic action sequences. It helps that Valentine is more of a Batman-esque superhero – favoring hand-to-hand combat and tools (like using handcuffs as a set of bolas) over CGI-intensive superpowers. That does not mean it is free from visible joins or CG, yet taken overall, it is a solidly put-together picture.
There are also a few elements that help it stand out from the pack, bar the basics of being an Indonesian superhero in an Indonesian setting created by Indonesians. The characters troubleshoot Valentine’s costume design as she goes along, going from something out of 2010’s Kick-Ass to pretty decent. It also avoids the usual superheroine pitfalls of high heels and ‘tactical’ cleavage. As far as heroes go, Valentine’s look is one of the more practical ones.
Beyond that, it wears its superhero tropes on its sleeve. The film does not Nolan-ise Valentine’s roots. One of Shadow’s henchwomen dresses up as a clown because she can. The others opt for altering makeup designs. Shadow himself looks like an all-black version of DC’s Deathstroke. Yet, it is not a campy flick either. There are tragic pasts to deal with, challenges to overcome, and lost faith to reclaim.
The film makes for an entertainingly cheesy hero romp for the most part. However, the biggest issues come when the film enters its third act. The plot was a little messy to begin with, yet it gets its threads all tangled as it rushes to its climax. Conspiracy, corruption, and Shadow’s true identity gets revealed, though it feels more confusing than explosive. Especially when it takes the focus from Valentine, who has been carrying most of the film, for plot points that received little build-up prior to the climax.
Still, it does not completely spoil Valentine as a whole. The dubbed English acting is pretty good, and the action is top-notch. Plus, the camerawork and editing keep everything moving at a smooth, steady pace. Yet, it does rely on the superhero genre’s tropes quite heavily, before leading to a baffling ending. Thus, it is unlikely to convert superhero skeptics, but it should please comic book fans quite well. The former can take half a star off the score, while the latter can add it. Overall, with everything considered, Cryptic Rock gives Valentine: The Dark Avenger 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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I just finished watching the film. I actually stumbled upon the film’s existence when digging through different sites. I’ll admit that it was very watchable. While the plot was fairly easy to figure out, I didn’t feel the film was too cheesy or hookey.
As a comic book fan, I appreciate it when superhero films are treated seriously. Valentine was far more serious (and took itself seriously) than it was inane (in the 1980s Batman franchise sort of way).
Another plus was the fact that this was 100% Indonesian. It was my first Indonesian film and I thought the production values were very good. I watched the English dubbed version (my preference as it allows me to visually focus on characters, backgrounds, scenery, etc) and the voiceover folks actually did a pretty decent job.
I thought Shadow made a great villain and I absolutely loved his three cronies. I agree completely that the ending was very flat, especially considering Shadow’s ability to hold a country hostage. This, by far, was the weakest aspect of the film but forgivable.
10/10 would watch Valentine II…
I just finished the movie myself, , I thought all the references to Batman, had me thinking the movie would somehow tie back to Batman, Shadow seemed to tie into the league of shadows, his cronies seemed to fall into place from Jokers, and Harley quin, even the batman shirt at the end, all made me feel that somehow it would tie into the Batman comic, did anyone else feel this, or am I just making something out of nothing
I finished watching it, but not exactly on the edge of my seat. The acting was good, Estelle played her part well Shadow’s lines were cheesy and shallow. The plot moved too fast, and not in-depth enough. A few seconds here, a few seconds there, the plot wasn’t revealed until the end.
I too thought that Shadow seemed like a throwback to League of Shadows, even so far as using the name ‘Shadow’. The movie almost seems like it was a Marvel knock-off. The color schemes, the make-up, the names, all reminiscence of a Marvel Comics movie. The English voice-over actors lacked polished skills, and at times even seemed more like a high school re-enactment.
I will watch Valentine II, but only because “The Dark Avenger” shows great potential. I just hope they learn from it and use the new lessons in Valentine II.
My over-all rating, based on the film crew having a lower budget than Marvel or DC is 4/5,
My rating for –
Story plot; 2/5
Action 4.5/5
Entertainment Value 3.5/5
Who was the super hero at the end of the movie that collided with an asteroid?
If I recall their look correctly, they’re called Volt. No news on when his film’s due out, but seems both he and Valentine had films planned as early as 2014.
There was 2 ending credits ,a new superhero flying in the sky and a morgue scene that looked as if Valentine ‘a brother woke from the dead and walked out.
sorry ,should read “Valentine’s brother” .
So, not a comic book fan but enjoy the movies. I bought the DVD. Totally enjoyed the movie. I think if you like Marvel & DC, you’ll enjoy this movie. Actually worth being seen by anyone once. I’m still waiting for V2-The Darkness Returns. (Or whatever title they choose 😁)
Just watched this on demand on Youtube. For a foreign film with no publicity pushing it here in the US I expected it to be campy; but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved how it was a true origin story. Valentine was learning as she went upgrading her gear training how to implement new tools etc.
I saw it on Netflix recently. The ending bugged me in that Srimaya loses her climactic fight and then becomes little more than a spectator to the ending of the story. (I also preferred the Valentine outfit from the still above rather than the final one).
Until then I quite liked it. It was interesting how the tone worked differently, in ways that seemed a bit mismatched to someone used to Western superhero media, but were consistent in themselves. Like the henchwomen Srimaya fought wouldn’t have looked out of place on the Adam West Batman show, but the moves in that same fight looked more at home on the Marvel Netflix shows (I’m pretty sure Srimaya puts one of them down by shattering her knee).
I liked Srimaya’s growing frustration as the others get lost in the superhero fantasy and expect her to jump into more and more dangerous situations.
Estelle Linden herself is unfeasibly charismatic.
Awesome review! I completely agree with your assessment of the film’s dark and gritty tone. Valentine’s portrayal of The Dark Avenger is absolutely menacing and convincing. The special effects and action sequences are top-notch as well. Can’t wait to see more from this talented director!
Great review! I loved how you highlighted the film’s unique blend of romance and dark themes. It really kept me on the edge of my seat. Can’t wait to see more discussions about the character development!
I really enjoyed your review of “Valentine: The Dark Avenger”! The blend of horror and romance in the film sounds intriguing, and I appreciate how you highlighted the character development. I’ll definitely be adding this to my watchlist!