War 2 Movie Review

Two big stars from North and South, Hrithik Roshan & NTR coming together for India’s biggest franchise ‘YRF Spy Universe’. This itself is enough for fans to throng theatres. Bonus, it is a sequel to the 2019 hit movie WAR. A movie that is very important for NTR to establish himself in Hindi circuits. Let’s see if it lived up to all these expectations or not.

Setup:

Agent Kabir (Hrithik) goes undercover as a traitor to the country to eliminate threats from the other side, keeping his loyalty as bait. In pursuit of a cartel called Khali, comprising powerful people from India’s neighbouring countries, he has to kill his guru and father-like figure Colonel Luthra (Ashutosh) and becomes the most wanted fugitive for R&AW. Now, R&AW ropes in their best agent, Vikram (NTR), to get Kabir by any means. Will he be successful in doing so? Can Kabir crack down the cartel? What is the relation between both of them? Forms the rest of the story.

Technicalities:

Cinematography is okayish, but most of it looks like it is shot in a closed studio. The naturality is missing and everything looks too polished. Editing could have been much better; a few scenes and action episodes should have been crisper. Music by Pritam is very average. There are two songs, but both fail to be the chartbusters the film needed.

Background score by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara is underwhelming. Although they tried something a little different for NTR’s intro and other parts, it failed to leave a lasting impact. Aditya Chopra’s story is bad and predictable.

The twists are foreseen, and the proper core emotion is missing. Ayan’s direction is very subpar; he failed to build proper drama that elevates the action set pieces. When there is no proper conflict and you rely on the leads’ emotional connection to carry the film, a little more care is needed. There is not one proper standout moment between them, which is disappointing.

Performances:

Hrithik, in a subtle performance as Kabir, is as usual. He looks great on screen with his charm and nails the action sequences. NTR, in his Hindi cinema debut, takes up a very unusual role similar to his role in Temper, with a tinge of grey shade. It is enjoyable seeing him very active on screen with few powerful dialogues. But on the writing level, his character arc does not shine properly, which fails to provide a lasting impact. The same is the case with Hrithik’s character as well.

Both actors gave their best in the dance number and the emotional act in the end, but the writing and direction did not give them enough scope or build the drama to elevate them. Kiara is limited to a few scenes and a song, without much significance to the proceedings. Other actors like Ashutosh Rana and Anil Kapoor were also underutilized.

Positives:

NTR & Hrithik Dance in Salam Anali Song
Childhood episode
Face-off emotional sequence in climax
A couple of action blocks

Negatives:

Predictable plot
Uninteresting Screenplay
Age-old treatment
No ‘spy’ elements
Poor and artificial CG/VFX
Weak narration
No emotional core

Analysis:

When War 2 was announced, the audience became very curious about how South star NTR would fit into the Spy Universe of Bollywood and act alongside Bollywood superstar Hrithik. This comes at a juncture where NTR is going high on 7 successful films, and this is a risk for him to take up another multi-starrer in Hindi. It is clear what he wanted to achieve from this, the Hindi market. But unfortunately, that has to wait. He should have chosen a better script or setup than the beaten-to-death spy universe concept.

Director Ayan tried to bring in the emotional angle by showcasing the friendship bond of the leads, but he forgot it is called a ‘Spy Universe’ film. There are absolutely no spy elements at all, not even the usual ones you expect. The whole movie runs in one mood, with no highs at all, which is a shocker to everyone.

The first half goes along with the formula you would expect from a YRF Spy Universe film. There is no standout moments at all. NTR, in a free-flowing role, is enjoyable to watch. Hrithik Roshan plays along as Kabir in his usual style. Salaam Anaali on screen is a treat for fans. On the flipside, the VFX, like in previous Spy Universe films, look very artificial. The BGM feels repetitive. The story does not really progress either, with the real plot twist kicking in only at the interval block. The second half begins with flashback episodes of the leads, which establish the connection between them. It then unfolds through a few smaller subplots leading up to the final showdown.

This part of the film feels very bland and fails to hold any excitement. For Hrithik, this movie does not add much to his career as it feels like a rehash of his previous film War. For NTR, this serves as a mixed-bag debut in Hindi. He did what he could with his characterization, but the story lacks moments that elevate him properly. NTR’s potential feels wasted and under utilized. Overall, it ends up as a disappointing fare that offers nothing new.

Bottomline: Weak WAR

Rating: 2.25/5