G.O.R.A.

G.O.R.A
Film poster
Directed by	Ömer Faruk Sorak
Written by	Cem Yılmaz
Produced by	Nuri Sevin Necati Akpınar Gökhan Tuncel
Starring	Cem Yılmaz Özge Özberk Şafak Sezer Rasim Öztekin İdil Fırat Özkan Uğur
Cinematography	Veli Kuzlu
Edited by	Böcek Yapım BKM Film
Music by	Ozan Çolakoğlu Sagopa Kajmer Özkan Uğur
Distributed by	Besiktas Kültür Merkezi (BKM), Bocek Yapim, Böcek Film
Release date	November 5, 2004 (2004-11-05)
Country	Turkey
Language	Turkish
Box office	30,805,474 TL[1]

G.O.R.A. is a 2004 Turkish science-fiction comedy film, directed by Ömer Faruk Sorak, which stars Cem Yılmaz as a used carpet salesman who is abducted by aliens from the planet G.O.R.A. The film, which went on nationwide general release across Turkey on November 5, 2004 (2004-11-05), was one of the highest grossing Turkish films of 2004 and was followed by the sequels A.R.O.G (2008) and Arif V 216 (2018).^[2][3]

Synopsis[]

Arif (Cem Yılmaz), a carpet seller in Turkey, lives by trying to sell-off carpets and fake images of U.F.O fabricated from his elaborate hoaxes. Coincidentally, he is abducted by aliens from planet G.O.R.A along with other earthlings. This abduction is carried out by G.O.R.A security chief Logar Trihis (also played by Cem Yılmaz) as a grudge for the ill-treatment his ancestors received while visiting earth. On the spaceship, Arif comes across a hologram image of Garaval (Özkan Uğur) who tells Arif that he can sense the Force within him (a spoof reference to The Star Wars) and instructs Arif to look for him. Upon landing on G.O.R.A, Arif continues to look for opportunities to escape but repeatedly fails. He builds up a friendship with inmates Faruk (Rasim Öztekin) and Robot-216 (Ozan Güven). Robot-216 is a close confidant of Princess Ceku (Özge Özberk) who was demoted to prisons by an angry Logar. It is revealed that Logar plans to usurp the throne by marrying Princess Ceku although Ceku is not in love with him. To carry out his plan, he sets a fireball towards G.O.R.A and asks for the Princess's hand as the reward on the condition that he will save G.O.R.A. The king has to agree as the alternative option of using sacred stone is hindered by the absence of the manual (the manual is stolen by Logar). But when Logar fails to fire-off his weapon, Arif comes to the rescue by performing the sacred stone ritual which resembles scene from The Fifth Element film Arif saw. Logar is furious as it required Arif to kiss Ceku. So, he blackmails the king into agreeing Ceku's marriage with him. However, Ceku comes to know from her mother that her original father is in fact an earthling. She sets off to find him with Arif, Faruk and Robot -216. But along the way, Logar's men intercept and take Ceku back. At the same time, Arif meets Garavel who is an old acquaintance of Ceku's father. With his help, Arif gains power-ups and invades the castle to rescue Ceku. In a move spoofing The Matrix, Arif defeats Logar and exposes his sinister plans to everybody. Arif and Ceku, very much in love, return to earth and lives off as a couple. The film ends with the couple happily driving on a highway.

Cast[]

• Cem Yılmaz - Arif Işık/Cpt. Logar Trihis
• Rasim Öztekin - Bob Marley Faruk
• Özkan Uğur - Garavel
• İdil Fırat - Mulu
• Şafak Sezer - Kuna
• Özge Özberk - Princess Ceku
• Erdal Tosun - Rendroy
• Ozan Güven - 216-Robot
• Cezmi Baskın - Amir Tocha

Reception[]

Reviews[]

Todd Brown, writing for Twitch Film, describes the film as, "a very funny, very Mel Brooks inspired sci fi comedy," with "some pitch perfect knocks on both Star Wars and the Matrix films in there," that "looked good...went on to become a huge hit in its native country," and "re-introduced Turkish genre film to international audiences as it rolled out on the festival circuit," proving that Turkey "was capable of producing big, glossy productions with the very best of them."^[4][5]

References[]

External links[]

• G.O.R.A. at IMDb
• G.O.R.A. at Rotten Tomatoes