The highly anticipated film "GOAT," starring Thalapathy Vijay and directed by Venkat Prabhu, has finally hit theaters on September 5th. With impressive advance bookings, it's poised for a blockbuster opening day. Our review will explore whether this "Greatest of All Time" film lives up to the hype​

Movie Name : The Greatest of All Time
​Release Date : September 05, 2024
Starring : Vijay, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Sneha, Laila, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Ajmal Ameer, Mohan
Director : Venkat Prabhu
Producers : Kalpathi S. Aghoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh, Kalpathi S. Suresh
Music Director: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematographer: Siddhartha Nuni
Editor: Venkat Raajen

Story:

Gandhi (Vijay), a member of the Special Anti-Terrorist Squad (SATS), successfully completes a mission in Kenya to eliminate a terrorist gang led by Menon (Mohan). Years later, while on a mission in Bangkok, Gandhi finds his son Jeevan (also Vijay) dead. To his shock, he encounters Jeevan alive in Russia years later, and they return home together. Following their return, strange events begin to unfold involving the SATS members, and Gandhi embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. Did Gandhi succeed? Is Jeevan truly his son? Does he have any ties with Menon? These questions form the core of the movie’s mystery.

Plus Points:

Thalapathy Vijay showcases his versatility, excelling in the dual roles of Gandhi and Jeevan. His portrayal of Jeevan’s villainous side is particularly compelling, while his calm and composed performance as Gandhi, paired with a stylish salt-and-pepper look, adds gravitas to the character. Vijay’s ability to balance both roles with finesse is the film’s biggest asset.

Supporting actors like Prabhudeva, Jayaram, Prashanth, Mic Mohan, and Sneha deliver okay performances in their limited roles.

The face-off scenes between the two Vijays are well executed and engaging. The action sequences are well choreographed, and the climax, set during a live CSK cricket match, is a fan-pleaser, despite its extended runtime.

Minus Points:

The storyline is predictable and follows a familiar template. Despite Venkat Prabhu’s claims of an unpredictable screenplay, the narrative is easy to foresee, making it less engaging for viewers who are familiar with similar films. A more tightly written script could have elevated the film’s impact.

The first half is slow and drags, testing the audience’s patience. While the second half picks up with the intense face-off scenes, the film’s overall length remains a concern. Even though Vijay’s performance keeps the momentum going, the story feels stretched.

There are notable plot holes, especially in the action sequences where the villains fail to land a single shot on the protagonist, a common yet frustrating trope in action films.

Menon’s character, portrayed by Mohan, lacks depth, making the villain less impactful. Meenakshi Chaudhary’s role is underutilised, as she appears in only a few scenes and songs. The cameos by Trisha and Sivakarthikeyan are a pleasant surprise but have no impact on the film.

Some of the humour falls flat, and the end credits sequence feels like a direct copy from a flop Hollywood movie.

Technical Aspects:
Venkat Prabhu’s direction and screenplay are the film’s weak points. The story is conventional, and the slow pacing, especially in the first half, diminishes audience engagement. The film’s excessive runtime further hampers its appeal.
​
On the technical side, the VFX team deserves credit for convincingly de-aging Vijay, although other versions of the character look awkward. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music fails to leave a mark, and several scenes, particularly in the first half, feel unnecessary and could have been trimmed. The cinematography is adequate. Production values are commendable.

Verdict:
On the whole, The Greatest of All Time (The GOAT) is a standard revenge action drama that leans heavily on Vijay’s performance. His portrayal of the villainous Jeevan and the face-off scenes are the film’s highlights, but beyond that, it offers little in terms of novelty or excitement. The slow pacing, long runtime, score, and numerous plot holes make it a challenging watch for all but die-hard Vijay fans.

Overall Rating: 2.75/5

 -Movie Review: Bhagavanth Kesari
Director: Anil Ravipudi
Producers: Harish Peddi, Sahu Garapati
Music Director: S Thaman
Starring: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sreeleela, Arjun Rampal and others
Release Date: 19th October 2023

Story: Nelakonda Bhagavanth Kesari (Nandamuri Balakrishna) is trying to get Vijji Vijayalakshmi (Sreeleela) into the army and make her a strong woman in this world. And a drug mafia leader Rahul Sanghvi (Arjun Rampal) who wants to be number 1 in the world comes into their lives and commits a crime. By doing this, he threatens Vijji’s life and what does Bhagwant Kesari do? What is the relationship between Bhagavanth Kesari and Vijji? Did Bhagavanth have a prior connection with Rahul Sanghvi? To get these answers, one should watch the movie Bhagavanth Kesari on Silver screen.

Plus Points:
·         Balakrishna
·         Performance
·         Casting
·         Girl empowerment concept

 Minus Points:
·         Lack of entertainment
·         Runtime
·         Screenplay

Performance: Nandamuri Balakrishna delivered a strong performance. He seamlessly fits the character and delivers impressive mass and punch dialogues in the Telangana dialect. Bollywod actor Arjun Rampal, who appeared in the role of a villain, impresses with his looks and attitude with solid villainy. Also Kajal Aggarwal impresses with decent looks and acting to the extent of her role. Finally, a crazy climax sequence on Sreeleela and Balayya is entertaining.  Sreeleela has given a natural performance in this film.  Rest of the cast perform accordingly.

Technical: Shine Screen’s production values in this film are outstanding. The makers of this movie have made it grander. And in the technical team, we have to say for Thaman, the back bone of the film. He took his track record with Balayya to another level with this movie. Also his songs are good. C Ram Prasad’s visuals are good. But the graphics are not really good. Tammiraju’s editing should be better. And when it comes to director Anil Ravipudi, he seems to have come out of the comedy track of his previous films and made this complete mass film. There is no problem here and there but he has led a very routine plot and screenplay. However, despite the routine, he has succeeded in highlighting the elements that Balayya fans want for the mass audience.

Analysis: The most disappointing aspect of this film is the actual story that runs in this film, but many sequences, emotions already seem like we have seen in many films. Kajal’s role does not have much scope. Also, the run time of the movie is also long and some unnecessary scenes have to be cut.  Also there is no logic in the movie. Also comedy is not that much of a workout at some places.

Rating : 2.75/5 - Enjoyable action and emotional drama

Leo starring Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Trisha, Arjun Sarja, helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj has finally arrived at the theaters. Let’s see the story of this film.

Movie review: Leo
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Producer: Lalit Kumar
Music : Anirudh Ravichander
Starring: Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Trisha, Arjun Sarja
Release date: 19th October 2023

Story: Parthiban (Vijay) lives with his wife Sathya (Trisha) in Himachal Pradesh with two children. He runs a small coffee shop there and lives his life very happily with his family with the income from it. His happiness did not last long. Unexpectedly, Parthipan (Vijay) has a fight with some people. Thus Parthiban (Vijay) becomes famous all over Himachal Pradesh. After that Antony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and Harold Das (Arjun) notice Parthiban. Parthiban’s actions remind him of an old enemy, Leo Das. In such a situation, the question arises as to who is Parthiban and what is his relationship with Leo Das. Why is Antony looking for Parthiban and his family? Does Parthiban fight all these odds and succeed? Or will his happy family fall apart in an instant? To get these answers, one should watch the movie Leo on silver screen.

 Plus Points
·         Vijay
·         Screenplay
·         BGM
·         Manoj Paramahamsa’s cinematography

 Minus Points:
·         Runtime
·         No Strong Villain
·         Lack strong conflict point

Performance: As usual Vijay is good in his performance oriented role. His performance is superb in emotional scenes. He is terrific in the film, as Parthiban, as well as Leo.  He shines as a a father, husband who is fighting an internal battle. The family scenes involving Vijay, Trisha and their kid came out nicely during the first half of the film. Trisha  plays more than just a perfect partner. Sanjay Dutt and Arjun have given outstanding performances in their respective key roles. Priya Anand gets limited screen space. Gautam Vasuseva Menon has played a full length role in this movie, he does justice to the role as a ranger.

Technical:  LCU part looks forced. Anirudh Ravichander’s background score is outstanding  The  cinematography and editing are okay but not upto the mark. The biggest drawback of the film Leo is its runtime. Production values for this star-studded project are lavish. Other departments like Art and production design are apt to the film.

Analysis: The film is full of action as an action film. Vijay’s action is splashed in the film. Anand and Gautham Menon have acted well. The fight scenes, visuals, music and backdrops add to the strength of the film. The VFX of the film is of high quality. Especially the first 10 minutes are fire. There is a cameo of the biggest Telugu superstar in the film which you didn’t expect. The length of the film is the biggest minus of the film, especially the second half of the film will test your patience and the LCU connect you expect will disappoint you. Leo lacks a strong, towering villain. 

Rating : 2.75/5 -Partly engaging action drama!