Several fantasy films hit the Filipino box office in 2005 but none was grander in epic scope than Erik Matti’s return to the action genre of Gagamboy (FEFJ 2004), after the intimate psychological terror of Pa-Siyam (FEFJ 2005).
Inspired by the Enchanted Kingdom theme park just outside Manila, the film opens self-reflexively with an audience attending an Exodus screening where the Wizard narrator exhorts them to turn off their cell phones before plunging into the fantasy world where the underground city of Bantayan led by Biseo is threatened by Bagulbol and his forces of evil. Biseo calls on Exodus, whom he trained as a child in fighting arts - to capture the characters of Earth, Fire, Air, Water and the “fifth element” - the Spirit of a tribe earlier destroyed by Bagulbol - for the big battle with the enemy.
Matti keeps the action swirling and the dialogue to a minimum, maintaining the pace of a theme park ride. With its black and white plot, Exodus stands most interestingly as a supreme exercise in visual style which it achieves more conclusively than Matti’s earlier epic Pedro Penduko, Episode II: The Return Of The Comeback (2000). Some scenes (such as the suspended keys in a cave) are truly inventive and marked by superior camerawork (by accomplished director Lyle Sacris), special effects and flamboyant production and costume design. The Revilla family has long been associated with the Agimat fantasy action films and this production continues as a family affair. Exodus is played by Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. who has followed in his father’s footsteps not only as an action star but also a Senator in national politics. His sons Bryan and Jolo play young versions of Exodus, while Revilla Senior appears in the film as Exodus’ father killed by evil Bagulbol (Revilla Sr and Jr previously appeared in 1984’s Dugong Buhay).
Think of any fantasy adventure epic from Star Wars through Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to Lord Of The Rings and you will probably find traces in Exodus. However, Matti’s talent has been to synthesize many sources to create his own vision of a world and social order that resonates with his local audience. Filipino cinema has long been engaged with the fantasy action genre, at least since Manuel Conde’s Sigfredo and Genghis Khan of the 1950s, and Matti’s film is a worthy addition to that tradition.