Ten years after the end of the Kaiju War, Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of Stacker, makes a living selling stolen tech. But an arrest lands him back in the Jaegar pilot programme under Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), with old mucker Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) and scrappy scavenger Amara (Cailee Spaeny), just in time to meet a new threat.

★★★★★

 Here’s the thing about movies where giant robots beat up on giant monsters: they should be fun. Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 Pacific Rim only sometimes delivered that, with its quasi-realistic focus on traumatised survivors teaming up to meet a monster invasion. Uprising, however, packs in more gonzo invention and giddy destruction than its progenitor and the director, Daredevil’s Steven S. DeKnight, manages to twist the franchise in some surprising new directions.

John Boyega, employing every ounce of his considerable charisma, is the roguish Jake Pentecost, son of Idris Elba’s heroic apocalypse-canceller Stacker. But Jake turned away from the Jaeger programme, and now skulks about scavenging tech to fund an extravagant snack-food habit. A chance encounter with a teen Jaeger builder, Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny), and her Bumblebee-like creation Scrapper lands Jake in jail — until he agrees to go back and train a new generation of recruits.

  The action delivers in ways that the Transformers franchise hasn’t managed in a decade.

 It’s all an excuse to give Jake some outsider cool in the pilot programme, because soon everyone is preoccupied by bigger issues. Tech tycoon Shao Liwen (Jing Tian) is pushing a rival drone project to replace the Jaeger pilots, with Charlie Day’s Newt Geiszler now at her side. When a rogue Jaeger appears in Sydney just as Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) is about to vote on the drones, it becomes apparent that kaiju are not the only threat.

There are probably allegories here about the proliferation of nuclear weapons post-World War II, as well as the current rise of robot weaponry, but this is not a film meant to provoke deep thoughts: it’s a film where giant robots raze cities. The property damage is mind-boggling, and the action delivers in ways that the Transformers franchise hasn’t managed in a decade.

This rushes through its character beats, especially Adria Arjona’s embarrassingly underserved Jules and the identikit trainees, none of whom stick in the mind like del Toro’s misfits, but then, there’s a lot to do. It’s not a spoiler to say that the kaiju eventually reappear (though not as you might think) and the destruction ramps up to even more devastating heights. The result is frequently ludicrous, but it is bigger and cleverer than we had any right to expect.

 These Mark 6 Jaegers with their electric whips, “gravity slings” and plasma swords deliver all the giant robot thrills you could wish. Thanks to Boyega and Spaeny, you might even care about the human characters, too

Black Panther' — 3.5 stars

MPAA rating: PG-13 (for prolonged sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture)

Running time: 2:20

Even if it had nothing else going for it, Black Panther would still be the best-looking Marvel movie yet. Supersaturated with vivid afro-futurism and as bold and riotous as a rack of dashiki print shirts, it looks like a particularly excitable Sun Ra album cover. Fortunately, the film doesn’t trade on looks alone.

The score, by Ludwig Göransson and Kendrick Lamar, combines primal beats with the growling purr of a pack of big cats. Cannily, and unusually for a Marvel picture, Black Panther unfolds in a pretty much self-contained world. There are no smirking cameos from the likes of Tony Stark. The closest we get to acknowledging the Marvel universe is a reference to the death of the father of T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), an event that happened in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and a bad guy who first popped up in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

T’Challa inherits the throne of Wakanda, the secretive techtropolis that has concealed itself from the rest of the world. And he assumes the mantle of Black Panther, complete with an impenetrable battle suit engineered by his genius kid sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright, who gets to play with most of the best lines as well as all the cool kit). Supporting T’Challa is Wakanda’s top warrior, Okoye (Danai Gurira), lethal with a spear but who also, in one gif-friendly shot, does an impressive amount of damage by hurling her wig.

Peril comes from Andy Serkis, great fun as Ulysses Klaue, a piratical South African with a grin that looks as though he chews lightbulbs for breakfast. Plus there is a challenger to the throne: Erik Killmonger (Michael B Jordan) is the cousin that T’Challa never knew he had. And this is a weak point – Erik’s backstory doesn’t seem to fully explain the frothing hate machine he becomes. The film also falls into the traditional Marvel third-act trap: for all the attack rhinos and the tribal factionalism, it’s still just a big, noisy CGI battle climax

Punctuated by 11 memorable songs composed by Oscar- and Tony-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who composed the songs for "La La Land," as well as the current Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen. The film is made for the whole family to enjoy, and so it leaves out many of the darker elements (explored in the 1980 Broadway musical Barnum, music by Cy Coleman). This is a difficult tightrope to walk, but credit is due to Gracey, a perfectly cast Hugh Jackman, and the entire cast, who play this story in the spirit in which it was written (by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon). "The Greatest Showman" positions itself as a story celebrating diversity, and the importance of embracing all kinds.

There are those who will see this as a rose-colored-glasses view of what was a pretty exploitive situation. But in a 19th and early 20th century context, the circus and then vaudeville were welcoming places where those who had skills or who were rejected by society could find a home. Barnum put "misfit toys" onstage, saying, in essence, "Aren't they amazing?” (all while filling his pockets. For more thoughts on P.T. Barnum's barely acknowledged influence on American culture author Trav S.D.'s 2005 lecture at the Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, CT is a good place to start.) Cary Grant, who had a harsh poor childhood, got his start as a tumbler in a vaudeville troupe. Years later he described his revelatory first visit to the Bristol Hippodrome:

"The Saturday matinee was in full swing when I arrived backstage; and there I suddenly found my inarticulate self in a dazzling land of smiling, jostling people wearing and not wearing all sorts of costumes and doing all sorts of clever things. And that’s when I knew! What other life could there be but that of an actor? They happily traveled and toured. They were classless, cheerful, and carefree. They gaily laughed, lived, and loved."

That's what "The Greatest Showman" captures.

The film starts with the title song "The Greatest Show," a show-stopper with repetitive thumping percussion (reminiscent of Queen's ferocious "We Will Rock You"). Hugh Jackman—in red impresario's coat and top hat—takes us on a dazzling tour, with cinematographer Seamus McGarvey keeping the movements fluid, and all the actions connected, plunging you into the center ring. The whole number comes from the brazen heart of showbiz: Make it interesting! Give 'em something to look at! Make sure you reach the cheap seats! Barnum croons seductively, "Just surrender cuz you feel the feeling taking over!" I obeyed without reservation.

During the next number, "A Million Dreams" the young and poor Barnum (Ellis Rubin) befriends a well-bred little girl named Charity Hallett (Skylar Dunn), and they dream of creating their own destiny. This is the first time in "The Greatest Showman" where a character stops speaking and starts to sing instead; the segue is gracefully handled, setting up the artificial device early on. If you don't set up that trope with confidence, it makes it look like you're embarrassed to be doing a musical. By the end of the song, the little boy has become Hugh Jackman and the little girl has become Michelle Williams, leaping and twirling across the rooftop of their tenement, bed sheets on the line billowing to the beat.

One of the deep pleasures of "The Greatest Showman" is you don't have to grade the singing and dancing on a curve, as was necessary with "La La Land" (or, further back, to "Chicago," where quick cuts hid Richard Gere's lack of tap dancing skills.) Hugh Jackman, with his powerful high baritone, got his start in musicals, performing in productions in Melbourne, and then in a hugely acclaimed revival of Oklahoma! in the West End. He won a Tony Award for his performance as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz and has hosted the Tony Awards three times. He is an old-fashioned triple-threat. Film fans may know him mainly as "Wolverine," and there's nothing wrong with that, but once upon a time a song-and-dance man like Hugh Jackman's could sing and dance his way through mainstream Hollywood. He's unleashed here.

So, too, is Zac Efron, who also got his start because he could sing and dance in the phenom that was "High School Musical." His career has morphed into something rather unique, with titles like "Hairspray," "Neighbors," and a hilarious small part in this year's "The Disaster Artist." He has something that cannot be manufactured, although many try, and that is old-school movie star charisma. Add to that a beautiful voice, plus dancing skills, plus a surprisingly ironic sense of humor, and he's got the full package. It's thrilling to see him in a big splashy musical. He's very much at home.

Michelle Williams, with anachronistically long blonde hair, has a strong clear voice, and there's something exhilarating about how she tosses herself into thin air, knowing Jackman will catch her. In what could be a thankless "wet blanket wife" part, Williams adds a spunky sense of adventure, showing us the kind of woman who would say "No" to a ladylike society-wife life, and fling herself into the unknown with her man.

The timing of this release is interesting. On May 21, 2017, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus folded up its tent for good, after 146 years of uninterrupted operation. Rocked by controversy due to criticisms of exploitation and animal abuse, they retired the elephant acts in 2016, but it was too late. Barnum was dogged by criticisms from the beginning. Many of the "acts" were fakes. Barnum actually didn't say the quote most associated with him ("There's a sucker born every minute") but he might as well have said it and his critics despised him for the assumption about popular entertainment and the regular folk who enjoy it. But in the film, Barnum, with a dazzling smile, explains to a skeptical journalist, "People come to my show for the pleasure of being hoodwinked."

I was hoodwinked by "The Greatest Showman." And it was indeed a pleasure. Ringling Brothers may have closed up shop, but Barnum lives on

From ‘most entertaining Star Wars movie in many a moon’ to ‘appallingly purified’, Rian Johnson’s film has critics at the New Yorker, CNN and elsewhere divided

The first reviews for Star Wars: The Last Jedi are in and, with the exception of a few naysayers, the reaction has been mostly positive. Currently, Rian Johnson’s sequel has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, matching the rating of 2015’s The Force Awakens. On rival reviews aggregation site Metacritic, The Last Jedi has bested its predecessor with a rating of 85 to the Force Awakens’ 81.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy gave the film a broadly positive review, with minor caveats:

This latest, and longest, franchise entry has the decided feel of a passing of the torch from one set of characters, and actors, to the next. Loaded with action and satisfying in the ways its loyal audience wants it to be, writer-director Rian Johnson’s plunge into George Lucas’s universe is generally pleasing even as it sometimes strains to find useful and/or interesting things for some of its characters to do.

Variety’s Peter Debruge struck a more negative note, praising Johnson for “not messing things up” but declaring the film a disappointment:

Although The Last Jedi meets a relatively high standard for franchise film-making, Johnson’s effort is ultimately a disappointment. If anything, it demonstrates just how effective supervising producer Kathleen Kennedy and the forces that oversee this now Disney-owned property are at moulding their individual directors’ visions into supporting a unified corporate aesthetic … But Johnson was either strong enough or weak enough to adapt to such pressures, and the result is the longest and least essential chapter in the series.

Reviews from the UK have been more effusive. The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin gave the film a maximum five-star rating, describing it as “exemplary blockbuster film-making”:

Rian Johnson’s film certainly feels like Star Wars: it even has a supporting cast made up of British character actors and gorgeously CG-augmented rubber creatures, including porgs, a kind of hyper-marketable cross between a puffin and a young Justin Bieber. But it’s not a Star Wars you’re entirely sure Lucas would or could have ever made himself. Rather than playing the hits, as JJ Abrams’s franchise-reviving The Force Awakens did two Christmases ago, it flexes its fingers before riffing over old chord progressions in ways that will leave fans beaming with surprise.

Another five-star review came from the Times’ Kevin Maher (paywall), who saluted the film’s “devastating emotional power”:

If it’s better, and more satisfying, than the original instalments, this is often because it talks to them so freely (and not entirely without criticism). Scenes echo scenes. Shots deliberately rhyme (look for a reference to the lift sequence with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi). Musical cues nod and wink, until the film becomes dense and layered and bubbling with ideas and feelings, a whip-smart Star Wars smorgasbord that will also make you cry.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw wasn’t quite as fulsome in his praise, but was broadly positive, impressed in particular by Adam Driver’s performance as the conflicted villain Kylo Ren:

Superbly played by Adam Driver … [Ren] is now a wounded, damaged figure, and he insinuates himself like a sensually predatory Satan into our consciousness in a series of dreamlike cross-cutting dialogue sequences that are the most successful part of the film. What does Kylo Ren want? As ever, the closeups on Driver’s face are gorgeous. He is never the Easter Island statue of hardness that it is possible to misremember. He is tremulous, unsure of himself, like an unhappy teenager, and his mouth seems almost on the point of trembling with tears. That breathy, resonant voice is unmistakable even from behind a neo-Vader mask.

Across the Atlantic, the New York Times’ Manohla Dargis thought the film was “a satisfying, at times transporting entertainment”:

Mr Johnson has picked up the baton that was handed to Mr Abrams when he signed on to revive the series with The Force Awakens. Mr Johnson doesn’t have to make the important introductions; for the most part, the principals were in place, as was an overarching mythology that during some arid periods has seemed more sustained by fan faith than anything else. Even so, he has to convince you that these searching, burgeoning heroes and villains fit together emotionally, not simply on a Lucasfilm whiteboard, and that they have the requisite lightness and heaviness, the ineffable spirit and grandeur to reinvigorate a pop-cultural juggernaut. That he’s made a good movie in doing so isn’t icing; it’s the whole cake.

In the aftermath of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (which gave us the Sad Affleck meme), the level of fun was much higher for the Batman actor Ben Affleck when working on Justice League. 

Affleck opened up about his latest efforts as Batman in Justice League while speaking to Access Hollywood, sitting beside his co-stars Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher. As it turns out, they are a part of the reason he had so much fun at work this time around.

"Everybody got along and I think it comes across in the movie. You see the comradery of this group. You root for them to come together and a part of that is we all genuinely like each other," Affleck said. "It was much more fun than the last movie because I had all these people to play with!"

Fisher sings a similar tune, though his part in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was merely a cameo role in which he only appeared with Silas Stone actor Joe Morton. "I felt the fun for sure," Fisher said. "The last one, we had just the little bits you saw in Batman v Superman. But, it was fun just to be able to explore and team build. There was never a dull moment on set."

Still, don't expect to see too much smiling from Affleck's Bruce Wayne or Fisher's Victor Stone as they are burdened with saving the world from Steppenwolf's invasion.

Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017.

Mersal movie review: Atlee has not just exploited Vijay's stardom to deliver a flamboyant crowd-pleaser (which he did in Theri already) but has fleshed out an interesting script that plays up the best onscreen traits of the actor

3 / 5 STARS

2017 has not been a year for mass commercial films thus far; in fact, we have had very few releases that belong to pleasing the crowd genre, and most of them did not satisfy the expectations of the public. Yeah we had Baahubali 2 but nothing before that or since then. Will the fortune for commercial action film lovers change? Will Mersal sweep the audience off their feet or at least end up as a watchable entertainer for the festival? It sure looks to have all the potential but to know in which league it falls in, glance down to know:

Thenandal Studio Limited has put up a fabulous team together that features names like Vijay, AR Rahman, Atlee and Vijayendra Prasad in the mix of some young, vibrant talents like GK Vishnu and Ruben. And the list has not even started; it has an extravagant cast list and technical troupe. Probably one of the finest squad that one could dream off. But having said that, all these names in the paper become immaterial when the product fails to connect with the people. Thankfully Mersal doesn’t become one of those films that are only high on technical values.

Atlee seems to be a person with great taste. More than the story, the screenplay of Mersal, it is the packaging that impresses the most. Few scenes are terrifying and slightly on the gory side which justifies the U/A certificate issued for the film. There is so much of flesh and blood exposed since it deals about medical scam but one might feel the director could have toned it down.

Mersal has all the right ingredients in the right amount: a smart script, a likable hero who never seems to age, a dash of romance, more than a touch of comedy, and a lot of fast-paced action. Isn’t that the kind of mix a commoner expects from a big hero festive film?

Mersal has a larger than life plot, triple role moments that you find only in films, and some superficial scenes; but when you see Vijay in the middle of all these, it is all the more easy for viewers to suspend disbelief and settle back for fun. Because when he is in action, you don’t think much about logic.

Mersal has its moments, but if you remove Vijay’s charisma, the movie becomes very predictable.

Playing triple roles is like acting in three different movies. What is more even challenging for Vijay here is, he plays three characters that he has never tried before. A socially responsible villager, a doctor and a magician; he has of course done justice to all the three roles. But to have that urge to train for a character and the craving to do all the magic tricks by himself deserves an applause. When you have someone like Vijay on board, you hardly need to add any gimmicks or special edits or other effects to glorify a mass scene because that is Vijay’s forte and it comes so natural to him.

However, some might say, his snorting kind of voice modulation that he does now and then sound contrived. We understand he uses a different voice tone occasionally to cater to a particular set of audience but such experimentation could work against the film if it is not effective. In this case, it is a mixed bag, not so effective neither it's annoying.

The 80’s flashback portion intro scene and the pre-interval fight scene are some of the major highlights. The comedy and sentiment portions are laced without disturbing the core plot. But the flashback portion could have been cut short.

Though just two films old, Atlee has created an impression that he is a master when it comes to emotions. Theri his last film, was a mix of emotion, drama and action but this time in Mersal, he goes more full-fledged towards action.

Technically he is surrounded by a bunch of extremely talented individuals like AR Rahman for music, Ruben for editing and GK Vishnu the debutant for cinematography. GK actually proves that debutant is just a term that counts for nothing when it comes to art. His work could compete with any top league cinematographer.

AR Rahman knows the importance of silence and to have that tranquillity in a mass flick, takes courage. His music is not noisy like how other commercial potboilers had sounded in the recent times. He doesn’t try to overshadow a scene with jarring or a catchy theme music, yet ARR scores a homerun whenever he gets a chance. It is like he elevates a scene without disturbing its soul.

Ruben’s cuts are sleek, and if not for his efforts, Mersal wouldn’t have been as racy as this. After Puli and Theri, production designer Muthuraj teams up with Vijay again. He has just upped his game in the recent past, and his set designs are so authentic. Whenever there is a slight lag in the screenplay, it was Anal Arasu’s stunts that came to the rescue. His action choreography was intense as well as fun, and when you have someone like Vijay at the performing end, the fight looks even more riveting. However, the song placement in Mersal seemed a tad force-fitted and came when you don’t expect.

SJ Suryah as the menacing villain fits the bill and has a few scoring scenes. All the three female leads Samantha, Kajal Aggarwal and Nithya Menen have limited scope to perform. Among the three, Nithya Menen’s flashback portion works better.

A pounding, pulsating entertainer that provides an almost constant adrenaline surge for nearly two hours and 45 minutes. Had it been a little crisper, it could have been better.

Everyone loves to rank Marvel movies. And down near the bottom on almost every single list are Thor and Thor: The Dark World. So how is it that we’re all so stoked about the third film in a trilogy that’s not even close to being as loved as others in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

“As we make more movies you start to see some patterns,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told me. “One of those that I’m proud of is when we get to a part three, you don’t use it as an opportunity to keep doing what you’re doing or double down on ‘People like the first two so let’s do the same thing.’ You do something totally different.”

Such has been the case with Shane Black’s Tony Stark-heavy Iron Man 3, the third Captain America movie adopting the much larger Civil War storyline and, hypothetically, Avengers 3 bringing everyone together for Infinity War.

But first, Thor: Ragnarok.

“With this movie, [director] Taika [Waititi] takes a little page out of the little moments in the other Thor films where [Chris] Hemsworth is funny,” Feige continues. “[Saying] ‘Another!’ in the first Thor movie. Him, which was his idea and his improv, hanging his hammer on a coat hook in The Dark World, and that continued with some of the things he did in Age of Ultron.”

With each movie, it became more and more obvious to Marvel that Hemsworth was more than just a physical presence. He was a comedic one too. And the actor noticed the Marvel Cinematic Universe was beginning to go in that direction as well.

“He saw what we’d done with some of our other films and said ‘Mate, I can do this,’” Feige said. “And we knew that he could. So we started to construct a movie around that version of Thor and that persona of Thor. So while we got as deep in mythology as we have in any movie with Hera and Raganrok, etc., we’re also using it as an opportunity to shift tonal gears.”

And that’s how you end up with a crazy, colorful buddy comedy starring Thor and Hulk. Thor: Ragnarok opens November 3.

The synopsis of Vijay's Mersal was revealed by British Board of Film Classification. Mersal story unfolds in different time periods, in which Vijay plays three different roles. A doctor, a magician and a village leader from Madurai. The teaser of the film has become a big hit online by amassing more than 28 million views.

Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s Mersal is gearing up for a grand release worldwide on October 18, coinciding with the Deepavali celebrations. While the Censor board is yet to certify the film, it completed the censor formalities with British Board of Film Classification.

The British censor board has rated Mersal with 12A certificate, which means the audience above 12 years of age can view the film in theaters. The under 12 age group audience should be accompanied by an adult for watching the film in theaters. The official website of BBFC has revealed that Mersal has “moderate violence, injury detail, threat, infrequent strong language and 163 minutes run time.”

BBFC has also posted the synopsis of the film, which has been closely guarded by the filmmakers so far. The summary of the film reads thus: “MERSAL is a Tamil language action thriller in which a magician and a doctor attempt to expose the corruption at the heart of India’s medical industry.”

As far as we know, Mersal story unfolds in different time periods, in which Vijay plays three different roles. A doctor, a magician and a village leader from Madurai. The teaser of the film has become a big hit online by amassing more than 28 million views, besides becoming the most liked Indian film teaser on YouTube.

Mersal has cost more than Rs 100 crore for its producers, Sri Thenandal Films and it is helmed by director Atlee. It also stars Nithya Menen, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kajal Aggarwal, S J Suryah and Vadivel among others in the star cast. And Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman has scored music for the film

Jackie Chan may have flexed his dramatic acting muscles in “The Foreigner,” but he was all smiles on Thursday night at the film’s Los Angeles premiere.

Chan was joined by director Martin Campbell, actors Rory Fleck Byrne and Ray Fearon, and writer David Marconi at the ArcLight Hollywood to celebrate the revenge thriller, which also stars Pierce Brosnan. Chan takes on one of the more serious roles of his career as a grieving father seeking justice when his daughter is killed in an act of terrorism. Still, Chan said he found it easy to get into character.

“The only difficult [part] for me is the English,” Chan told Variety. “I had to hear Pierce’s Irish accent, but he’s so good. He always said, ‘Jackie, if you’re not comfortable, let me know. I will just repeat.'

The film is based on Stephen Leather’s 1992 novel “The Chinaman,” which Marconi adapted with Chan in mind. “He was the No. 1 person on my list, and he was absolutely terrific,” Marconi said, adding, “Pierce was a blessing I never counted on.”

Instead, Chan gave credit to the creative team around him. “If everyone says, ‘Jackie, you’re so good, your acting is so good,’ I really thank the director, Pierce, and the crew members,” he said. Chan joked he only had “terrible memories” on set. He playfully expanded on that, saying, “Nobody make fun. So serious. Sometimes no lunch time, no dinner. Just unhappy on the set. I think the director did it on purpose. Nobody can talk.”

Byrne, however, lauded the on-set dynamic and said Chan always gave out sound advice.

 “I had some pinch me moments where I’m getting taught by Jackie Chan how to fight martial arts,” he shared. Campbell also reminisced on stories from set. His funniest memory came from the first day working with Chan. “I go to makeup, and he’s sweeping up the makeup trailer,” Campbell recalled, laughing. “He literally was cleaning it up before he came up on set. This wasn’t an act.”

Right before the movie screened, Chan prepped the crowd saying, “I hope you enjoy my acting. It’s not a comedy like ‘Rush Hour.’ If you don’t like it, it doesn’t matter because next year we do ‘Rush Hour 4.'”

“The Foreigner” opens on Oct. 13.

MOVIE REVIEW: While Vijay Sethupathi is back with yet another good performance, Bobby Simhaa’s portrayal of Kathir deserves more laurels. Also thanks to director Panneer Selvam, we have a formidable heroine in the story. Here’s our review.#

2.5 / 5 Stars

Vijay Sethupathi has got back to the rural routes after a long time with Karuppan, which released today for pooja holidays. Kathir (Bobby Simha) has an interest for Anbu (Tanya Ravichandran), but due to family situations, she gets hitched to Karuppan (Vijay Sethupathi). What does Kathir do, to separate Karuppan and Anbu, and does he finally get to marry Anbu? is what the basic premise of the film is about.

Vijay Sethupathi proves again he is an effortless performer, who easily fits in any given role. Karuppan character looks tailor-made for Makkal Selvan, who makes no mistake in delivering it. His charismatic screen presence and body language are enjoyable. Unlike other mainstream commercial films, Karuppan's heroine has a meaty role with good screen time, fortunately. Tanya has an expressive face, and she has done justice to her role. However, it would've been better if Tanya had rendered her own voice, instead of opting for a dubbing artist. Bobby Simha's role as the antagonist could have been designed with more weightage and scope for performance. Other actors like Pasupathi, Renu emote well with the limited scope given to them. Singam Puli's comedy has majorly worked.

The first half of the movie is full of celebration and happy moments. Only in the latter half, the film takes the serious route with vengeance, drama, and much more. Karuppan has a done and dusted screenplay, that we've seen in many films earlier, but the saving grace here is, Vijay Sethupathi's performance. If not for Vijay Sethupathi, this film wouldn't have got this flavour and engagement. His chemistry with Tanya is pretty decent, and their scenes together work well.

The Jallikattu scene needs a special mention, as it has been shot so colourfully, with full of energy. The sentiments are overdone to an extent, and after a certain point of time, it turns too melodramatic. One complainable issue in the film would be the vengeance portions, which doesn't engage you much.

 The need or importance of Sharath Lohitashwa's character is questionable. Though he is being showcased as a notorious villain, he neither has a significance nor travels till the climax. The song sequences could've been chopped off, especially the Murukku Meesa Mama number.

 On the technical front, Shakthivel's visuals capture the scenic beauty of the rural areas. D.Imman's background score is better than the songs, which don't stay in you. Panneerselvam, who made his debut through the critically acclaimed Renigunta, has taken the commercial route for Karuppan. Taking up the rural backdrop as the base, he could've given an engaging, colourful drama, instead of opting for a vengeance drama that we've already witnessed many times.

Verdict: A watchable village revenge drama, for Vijay Sethupathi's performance!