For a movie to have been made with so much energy, expense and extravaganza, I am left wondering why a little more time and energy couldn't have been spent on the script. For a movie that starts so well and promises so much, Athadu willingly becomes scattered and compromised, for no reason at all.
Many Indian films suffer from this, and this is not to dis the whole Indian film culture, but there are many holes in the narrative, voluntarily shot on the canvas by the writer/director. For instance, the emotional tangent that Nandu goes on after being introduced as a cold blooded professional is utterly unconvincing. His acting is straight out of an English language American B movie and he seems painfully plugged into a Telugu movie. What is so hard about spotting something like this? If a movie maintains its "tone" while playing out, no matter how outrageous it may be, it tends to settle in the audience's mind. Once we know what kind of a ride we are on, it is not hard to sit through consistent movies, no matter the genre. This movie has a hard time deciding what it wants to be.
The lifts from "Matrix" and "Face/Off" were neither necessary not subtle. So much money spent on what could have been a good movie, but even worse is the extra 90 minutes we are subjected to on absolutely needless distractions.
Many Indian films suffer from this, and this is not to dis the whole Indian film culture, but there are many holes in the narrative, voluntarily shot on the canvas by the writer/director. For instance, the emotional tangent that Nandu goes on after being introduced as a cold blooded professional is utterly unconvincing. His acting is straight out of an English language American B movie and he seems painfully plugged into a Telugu movie. What is so hard about spotting something like this? If a movie maintains its "tone" while playing out, no matter how outrageous it may be, it tends to settle in the audience's mind. Once we know what kind of a ride we are on, it is not hard to sit through consistent movies, no matter the genre. This movie has a hard time deciding what it wants to be.
The lifts from "Matrix" and "Face/Off" were neither necessary not subtle. So much money spent on what could have been a good movie, but even worse is the extra 90 minutes we are subjected to on absolutely needless distractions.