‘War’ Movie Review: Hrithik Roshan-Tiger Shroff’s action extravaganza is ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Fast & Furious’ & ‘James Bond’ stuffed into one

Directed By
Siddharth Anand

Produced By
Aditya Chopra

Cast
Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor, Anupriya Goenka, Ashutosh Rana, Dipannita Sharma

Bollywood Bubble Rating
3.5/5

What’s It About:
Hrithik Roshan is a rogue intelligence agent, who is sort of the best in India. Tiger Shroff, who was once his best student, is assigned the task of bringing him back to justice. Why has Hrithik turned rogue? Will Tiger be able to bring Hrithik back into the arms of laws? Well, for that you will have to watch the film.

What’s Hot:
Do I even need to mention that Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff have done a stellar job? Well, the two of them are at warring ends and that’s what makes this action flick entertaining. Their chemistry onscreen is in sync. Hrithik Roshan takes off his uber-cool swag right where he left after ‘Dhoom: 2’ and ‘Bang Bang’. When he enters the screen flaunting his muscles in a tight t-shirt, you invariably feel like whistling and hooting. The same goes for Tiger Shroff, but this man needs to prove his mettle rather than get it naturally. Tiger’s opening sequence is a pretty much 5-minute hand-to-hand fight sequence which has been filmed entirely in one single shot. It shows that the man wants to be the next sleek action star like Hrithik Roshan. Both of them have given in their heart and soul to each and every action sequence, and that’s what makes this movie worth your time.

The action sequences are another high point of the film. They are sleek and will remind you surely of some of the biggest Hollywood franchises. The film surely has taken inspiration from films like ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Fast & Furious’ and ‘James Bond’. It seems like director Siddharth Anand has tried to bring in the feel of all the three films in one.

Talking about the direction, Siddharth Anand has done a fab job at bringing in two of the most popular stars in Bollywood together. Also, the way he’s presented the action sequences is commendable. From fast bike chase sequence through the valleys of Portugal to driving Audis over the snow-covered lakes of the Arctic, they are simply fantastic. Not to mention the twist towards the climax is something that isn’t predicted and you would simply end up cheering for it.

The exotic locales of the movie are also something that would give you an international feel. The enormous budget that the producers have put into the film shows off in every frame.

What’s Not:
First and foremost, Vaani Kapoor. She has barely 10-minutes of screen time. It’s evident that no other big actress would come down for such a small sequence and therefore YRF went back to their most trusted girl, Vaani Kapoor, whom they gave a big break in Bollywood to come and do the job. Her plot could have been extended a bit more.

Ashutosh Rana as the chief of intelligence also has really less screentime. An actor of his caliber demanded a bit more of screen-presence. You will also end up seeing Dipannita Sharma in a blink-and-miss scene.

The other thing is the storyline of the movie. Just like Hollywood action franchises like ‘Fast & Furious’, ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘The Expendables’ run on a wafer-thin story and rely heavily on the action sequences, ‘War’ too is marred by the same. The storyline is wafer-thin and the whole film relies wholly and solely on the fantastic action sequences.

The song, Jai Jai Shiv Shankar, was totally not needed. Just because Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan are great dancers, you want to show them dancing together, and you end up putting a dance number at a time when it is utterly not needed. It breaks the flow of the film, which you are starting to enjoy by then.

The comedy bromance angle between Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan is explored just once during a fight sequence in Iraq, but that could have been a great thing to harp on had the makers added some more such sequences.

Moving on, there’s the factor that the elite class of the audiences would have already seen films like ‘Mission Impossible’ and ‘Fast & Furious’, so if you’re lifting scenes from them, you’re surely getting into troubled waters. Even though you’ve executed it pretty well, but audiences are always made to feel like ‘Yeh toh us Hollywood movie mein dekha hi tha’.

Lastly, the predictability of the storyline in the second half is too obvious. Not to give out any spoilers but throughout the first half, you’re made to believe that Hrithik Roshan actually is a good cop gone bad. But within the first 2 minutes of the second half, you realize that it’s not the case. He is doing it all in the name of patriotism. That revelation could have been kept for a bit later in the film, which would have made the enjoyment quotient go a couple of notches higher.

Verdict:
It’s a MUST WATCH. If you’re one of those who keep complaining that Bollywood doesn’t produce sleek actioners like ‘Mission Impossible’, ‘Fast & Furious’, ‘James Bond’ or even ‘Jason Bourne’, ‘War’ is your answer to the same. I would have gone with a four-star, but considering the action sequences aren’t something that I haven’t seen before in some Hollywood franchises, I’m going with three and a half stars.

Box-Office:
Considering Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan’s immense popularity among the masses and the extended long weekend the film is getting, it is bound to rake in some huge numbers at the ticket windows. Stay prepared for some fireworks at the box-office.

Watch Trailer:

Also Read: ‘Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy’ Movie Review: Chiranjeevi’s patriotic magnum opus is filled with grandeur, valour & national pride

Prateek Sur

Born a Movie Buff, working as a Film Critique and enjoying life as a Bollywood Reporter.

Email: editor@bollywoodbubble.com Phone: +91 8355910465