THERI MOVIE REVIEW

Finally, beating the hype, craze, crowd and personal excitements, I can proudly say that I've watched Theri (First day first show) as it released tonight in selected Malaysian cinemas and from everywhere tomorrow onwards. Being a Vijay fan, I would like to say that I'm not interested in writing a biased or selective review. I'm a fan of good films/quality cinema and I never hesitate pointing out the flaws or celebrating how awesome a scene could be. So here it goes, my Theri spoiler-free review;

What makes up a good film? It's ability to convince you to watch it again becomes the strength of success for any movie nowadays. So the very question that came up to my mind was, should I go for Theri again? The 'Vijay' in me would definitely force me to go for it but then the rational self of me denies this premise. What could have gone so wrong?

The film deserves a very big credit just for its background score. If it was Anirudh setting the bar for Kaththi then its G.V Prakash Kumar for Theri today, he has nailed it big time by surpassing every expectations! Songs were placed timely in the film and was never a major barrier in screenplay. Everybody on screen justified themselves as an actor or actress very well. Be it the playful Nainika-Vijay combo or the romantic Samantha-Vijay pair, these combinations were a delight to watch. The technical team behind the film lifted the film to the level it is now. Just by seeing the trailer we would have known how good the editor, cinematographer, stunt master, make-up artists or costume designers should have been and yes, they lived up to the expectations very well. The costumes were eye-pleasing, the action sequences were finally realistic and the screenplay goes so quick that you wouldn't even know what the whole thing is about. It's either a racy film trying to chase a ghost or a distraction so that you wouldn't grasp the plot.

Theri feels like a mash of genres, battered so fast and unevenly most of the time. It tries so hard to do everything and show everything that it finally ends up being its own suicide rope. Remember how 'Thuppaki' developed a single social message of an army man overcoming terrorism or how a common police officer could take down a powerful tycoon in 'Thani Oruvan'? That's the very reason why you visit these films regularly as the theme of the film was an attraction by itself. When it comes to Theri, it slams moral messages unto your face every now and then without developing them into a single powerful concept. The whole film feels under-developed and were mostly predictable as well. I guess the only thing that worked in this Atlee-Vijay combo were the 'massy' scenes, which was a cakewalk for Vijay himself in the first place and its occasional powerful dialogues throughout. Despite the talented casts, expertise in technicalities and a whole lot of budget, no mass or class of Vijay could save this poorly under-developed, deeply commercialism-rooted and predictable film from being what it is.

Conclusion: Way better than 'Puli' yet so far from 'Thuppaki'. A few powerful hits yet mostly major misses throughout.

MAARI MOVIE REVIEW

An ace director, a reputable actor, chart-busting songs and an all-exciting teasers and trailer has led to a mega-proportion of expectation for this Dhanush flick. With the premiere shows being put on hold all over the world a couple of days back, fans just couldn't hold on to the hype anymore. So going in with a full-house cinema and mind-boggling hype, will Maari satisfy the fans like how VIP managed to pull off?

The only thing you can never question about Maari is how well the technical team has lifted the film throughout. Be it the camerawork or cinematography, those guys can be proud of what the film had produced. The other positive points would be Robo Shankar's comedy scenes, Anirudh's touch in the film and the performance by Dhanush throughout the film.

Now here's why Maari doesn't work. Predictable storyline, repetition of scenes, draggy screenplay, Anirudh's repeating background music, overdose of 'massy' scenes without any justifications, overlong slow-mo shots and most probably one of the worst climax scenes I've seen for this year alongside 'Kanchana 2'. Running for only 2 hours and 18 minutes, audiences were already grunting at how long the journey was going to be. Some people left the theater even before the film actually ended and that pretty much sums up what you're in for!


Conclusion: Style over substance commercial flick strictly for the hardcore fans.

BAHUBALI (The Beginning) MOVIE REVIEW

India's most expensive film yet has seen the light of release today. The doubt of not catching the film at least once in cinemas is already considered a sin thus the reason behind the review today is whether or not Bahubali could stand tall besides Hollywood films today.

The effort from the entire team can be seen clearly from the moment the title was literally pulled up to the very last scene in the film where the biggest twist awaits you. No doubts, full marks for the performances of all the actors and actresses on screen and a big applause for the make-up team and all the people behind the technical aspects of the film. I'm sure all the other review sites will have plenty to praise about the film.

To cut short, let me just bring up the negatives. Honestly I wished I was the type who didn't bother about all this minor issues in the films. For the effort and money spend on this epic drama, I wished I could score it a full mark but nothing could ever be perfect. The first half of the film brings us to a romance adventure journey which is filled with unnecessary songs, predictable romance and a mass hero with superhuman abilities blended with logic-bending stunts. Post interval, the film begins to pick up speed in screenplay and eventually gears up for 'The Lord of the Rings' phenomena blended with the style of Indian cinema, which also means logic needs a rest again. The use of CGI is extremely heavy in this film and has been above average on most scenes. A few scenes felt like drawings on walls or cheap-like animation we see on television. Although it doesn't live up to your Hollywood standards, it is definitely one of the best use of CGI in Indian cinema, bearing in mind there's still a lot of room to improve.

Nevertheless like I've mentioned, missing this film on the big screen is a huge mistake and instead of regretting in the future, stop thinking twice and go get the tickets for it now already!

Conclusion: When you're dining in a gourmet restaurant, it's best not to be extremely fussy on how your food tastes. Just sit back, relax and enjoy what you're in for!

Ratings: 7.0 out of 10