THERI * Vijay59 * Atlee * GV Prakash * Kalaippuli Thanu *

[Shanker]

Theri : All style, minimal substance

Caught it last night at Rex Cinemas, Singapore. The friend I was with is the kind that thinks Vijay's only good movie was Thuppakki. After the movie ended, she told me she liks this more than Thuppakki and it might be Vijay's best performance to date. And guess what? She isn't wrong.

I loved the movie. I don't remember the last time a movie made me laugh and cry so much in equal parts. Mahendran Sir, Baby Nanika(Indeed a kutty Meena), Motta Rajendran, Radhika all bought their A game to the movie. Samantha did her role beautifully. Amy, on the other hand, was a cardboard. She even seemed disinterested at some parts. Finally, Vijay. What a performance. Vijay showed a glimpse that he's more than just an entertainer, that he's an actor in Kaththi as Jeevanandham which still is my favourite Vijay film. Atlee has extracted that part and portrayed it beautifully. Vijay excelled in everything he did, be it a father, a wife, a son or a cop. It was beautiful to watch.

The biggest negative of the movie is the story. The content is not strong. Atlee has packaged a neat action flick with a social message but the story is flimsy at best. This is where Thuppakki/Kaththi, and by extention, ARM, comes up on top. Other than that, the only other negative are the songs. They weren't placed well and tended to slow the momentum of the film. BGM was top notch though so kudos to GV. The fight scenes were realistic and raw. Loved it. Editing crisp. But I need to single out one particular technician. George C Williams. I loved his work in Kaththi. He continued on with Theri. Each frame was excellent. The close ups during mass scenes even more so. He really bought Theri to the next level.

As a whole, I loved it and totally worth the asking price. Atlee didn't disappoint with his second film. I will be watching it again on Saturday. Theri will hit 100cr without problems. Even the neutrals and haters like it.