The much-anticipated Malayalam sequel, L2: Empuraan, has stormed the box office with a historic opening, setting new benchmarks in production quality and scale. While the film boasts international-level visuals and cinematography, its narrative has received mixed reactions from audiences and critics alike.
The first half is slow-paced, heavily focused on plot setup, with lead actor Mohanlal making a delayed entry. The second half gains momentum with gripping action sequences and political drama, though some have criticized it for lacking emotional depth. While L2: Empuraan impresses with its grand visuals and action set pieces, its screenplay is seen as predictable, failing to match the storytelling impact of its predecessor, Lucifer.
The Telugu version has also received mixed reviews. Telugucinema.com called it a “stylishly made political thriller,” while GreatAndhra.com praised its visuals but noted that it “has style but lacks substance.” M9.com shared similar sentiments, stating that despite its grand production, the film becomes tedious after a point. 123Telugu.com summed it up as “high on style, low on substance.”
Despite the mixed reviews, L2: Empuraan has set an all-time record for Malayalam cinema’s opening-day collections. The film has also performed exceptionally well in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, with the Tamil version registering a massive opening.
The Lucifer franchise, created by writer Murali Gopy and spearheaded by director-actor Prithviraj Sukumaran, is set to continue. L2: Empuraan ends with a clear hint at L3, which will be set in Mumbai and delve deeper into the backstory of Mohanlal’s character, Stephen Nedumpally.
The Lucifer saga began in 2019 when Prithviraj’s directorial debut shattered box office records in Malayalam cinema. The film was later remade in Telugu as Godfather, with Chiranjeevi reprising Mohanlal’s role. Now, with L2: Empuraan expanding the universe, fans eagerly await L3, which promises to unravel more mysteries surrounding Stephen Nedumpally’s past.
The film boasts a star-studded cast, including Mohanlal, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Andrea Tivadar, Indrajith Sukumaran, Abhimanyu Singh, Kishore, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Nikhat Khan, Fazil, Sachin Khedekar, Saikumar, and Saniya Iyappan.
With L3 officially in the works, the Lucifer franchise is shaping up to be one of Malayalam cinema’s most ambitious cinematic universes.