Reunited at last

Fans of the original Sang’gre sisters of Encantadia only have a few days left to wait before they can watch Iza Calzado, Karylle, Diana Zubiri and Sunshine Dizon in one frame again after 2005’s hit telefantasya.

The four actresses shot to cult status after they played the four sisters battling for the throne in the 2005 GMA-7 show Encantadia. It has been more than a decade since the fantaserye, which continued with two more books running until 2007. It was then retold in 2016 with a new cast, but the original Sang’gres or royal sisters of Encantadia remain as popular as they were in 2005.

It’s no surprise that anything related to their “reunion” is big news, more so since two of them, Iza and Karylle, have signed TV contracts with ABS-CBN, GMA-7’s rival network.

THE original sang’gre sisters reunite for iflix’s “Mystified,” from left, Sunshine Dizon, Iza Calzado, Diana Zubiri and Karylle.

Finally, after years and years of clamor and waiting, they will finally be seen again on the screen in iflix’s Mystified. The movie is the first full-length feature from the video-on-demand site and is a co-production with the actresses’ production outfit, Sanggre Productions. Also part of the production outfit is director Mark Reyes, who also helmed the 2005 show.

Mystified will start streaming on Friday, 29 March, at 9 p.m.

I was among the viewers at its grand screening held last weekend. I must admit that I’ve watched the 2005 shows, including Etheria (arguably the best book among the three yet the least popular) and Encantadia: Pag-ibig Hanggang Wakas and even the 2016 requel.

SUNSHINE Cruz plays Helga, the main villain of the movie.

More than the effects, which did not bother me that much, I was hooked on its story. It was considered a break from the usual mold of TV shows on Philippine primetime. Instead of a poor-lass-meets-handsome-rich-guy love story or a family melodrama, there was this show about four powerful beings, who all happen to be females, battling for the throne. The woman in me was immediately hooked — no sight of a damsel in distress, thank goodness!

And they were wearing armors and wielded their deadly weapons and literally kicking ass when not using their powers!

I am among those who keep tabs on news of anything related to the Encantadia universe, and when news of them getting together again for Mystified came out, I could not be any happier.

Now that I’ve seen the reunion movie, was I bitten by the same magical feeling when I got hooked on Encantadia?

Let’s just say I was happy to see them on screen. Their beauty seems to get better as the years go by. Their onscreen chemistry, and even their real-life friendship, seems to have withstood the test of time, even when they are on opposite sides of the fence.

Fourteen years have passed with cinema deluged with visual spectacles led by Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anyone who wants to at least try doing visual effects in movies should have noted this as their barometer for moviemaking magic. In this day and age, arguing that Marvel is Hollywood is lame and moot.

When I was on my way out of the cinema, I overheard three friends who remarked about Mystified’s VFX. The girl said, “At least, maganda ang effects.” The two other guys just nodded. I would have to say it was one of the movie’s better points.

Acting and chemistry are already there with the four ladies knowing each other very well. The production could have been grander for a fantasy title about sorceresses and their world. I was a bit disappointed at seeing modern-day clothes in the form of dri-fit and athleisure tops as undergarments during the movie’s climactic faceoff scene with the dark witch, Hellga, played by Sunshine Cruz.

The spatial elements such as the world of the magical council did not seem as magical and captivating as it should have been — the kind of world where I would want to be sucked into and get lost in. These are but minor details.

The tale of the Coven of Four — the main protagonists played by the four actresses — did not incite much affinity as much as their iconic TV roles. There was not much room for developing characters and building tension and conflict. Perhaps it was because each of the main protagonists has to deal with her own issues and conflicts that cannot be crammed into the one-hour-and-20-minutes run time of the movie.

And as expected, Mystified ended with a promise of a possible sequel. It has to be a sequel since the four actresses cannot appear on TV or series roles together as a result of their contracts with their respective networks.

Amid all this, I am pretty sure that Mystified will still have a following. There will still be those who will watch it for the love of the four sang’gres who “made” their childhood. And, yes, I am one of them. I continue to hope for better things.