War 2 movie review: Brawn, Bravado, Bromance!

War 2 movie review: Brawn, Bravado, Bromance!

‘War 2’ - The action spectacle from the YRF stable is a follow-up to the 2019 spy thriller and a worthy addition to the YRF Spy Universe in terms of the cinematic ambitions and scale.

Directed by Ayan Mukherji, War 2 pits RAW most competent agent Kabir against another one with incredible caliber, Agent Vikram - played by Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR respectively against a familiar backdrop of India facing a major global threat from an elusive cartel called Kali – comprising corrupt ministers, businessmen and politicians in disguise.

Kali picks agents, lures them and turns them into rogues. At one point, Vikram throws the MICE principle to Kavya detailing this phenomenon. I would leave that to you to figure out what MICE stands for. War 2 reeks of the same old-fashioned template with, as one of the characters (K C Shankar) says, old-fashioned patriots, who mouth the chest-thumping, jingoistic lines – Death before Dishonour, Service before Self, Nation First! as a nod to the overdone inclination towards marrying hyper-nationalism with espionage. The story (by Aditya Chopra) stays religiously formulaic, demanding a suspension of disbelief from its audience, but despite the tedious and mediocre plotline, it is consistently enjoyable and a paisa vasool experience.

So it’s important to set your expectations right before immersing yourself into this action spectacle and also ensuring that you are in good company – who would cheer and whistle with each blow that lands on Kabir or Vikram’s solar plexus. The action is spectacular and leaves you with awe, while spreading its canvas over the three realms of earth- air, water and land! The chase scene in the first half that spills on to the roads in Spain and then onto a speeding train is mind-blowingly staged, matching up to the international standards that we usually observe in a James Bond or Mission impossible movie where logic and laws of gravity are equally compromised.  

Hrithik and Jr. NTR lock horns over a massive backdrop and render a scorching synchrony - their bravado, bromance and battle turns the much-raved  Kiara Advani's bikini into a forgettable experience – who is, otherwise, decently pitched as another R&AW officer to unleash her personal vendetta in a professional game. In a constant pursuit to outperform each other, they switch geographies and hop gorgeous locales as frequently as the script straddles across timelines and flashbacks, with a puncture in its wheel.

I lost track of the countless deceptions and double-crosses, who is pitched against whom and their objectives but what kept me hooked was the rush of dopamine and the flush of adrenaline. War 2 is not a bad film and it’s not a great one either – it oscillates within the middling terrains of Bollywood. The heroes look great on screen and the camera caresses their sculpted abs and bulging biceps. It brings back the masculine bravado onto the celluloid. NTR may be deficient with his expressions of joy or sorrows, but Hrithik compensates it with the unmistakable countenance – be it during the multiple face-offs with real enemies or with the CGI-created wolf during his intro scene in the Japanese shrine.

 

 

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