Brahmastra Movie Review: Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt's Astraverse Saga is Ayan Mukerji's Weakest Film Shrouded in Dazzling Visual Display (LatestLY Exclusive)

Brahmastra Movie: Part 1 - Shiva Review: Good news is, Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra isn't Rudraksh, as I feared when I saw the first trailer (my opinion improved with the better-cut pre-release promo). Bad news is, this is Ayan's weakest movie to date, despite being his, and even Bollywood's, most ambitious and most expensive offering. Brahmastra is a visual experience alright, and as the makers keep saying, it is something that works better when watched in a theatre. However, when you take out the staggering display of CGI that often overloads itself, there is a very forgettable and predictable story to be found after the lights are out. Rub your eyes, this is going to be a long review. Also some SPOILERS ahead, so be careful. Ahead of Brahmastra Release, Ranbir Kapoor and Ayan Mukerji Visit Lalbaugcha Raja to Seek Bappa's Blessings.

Brahmastra begins with a stunning piece of animated storytelling that describes the origin of the astras, the foundation of Brahmanch and how the most powerful astra of all - Brahmastra - had to be hidden by breaking it into three pieces and guarded safely by three powerful guardians. Once this is done, we meet Shiva (Ranbir Kapoor), a orphaned DJ who plays both at pubs and mandaps. He is also a Durga devotee and like Arun Verma in Mr India, he takes care of a few orphans. The contents of the previous sentence are a non-sequitur when it come to the rest of the plot.

Anyway, it is love at first sight for Shiva when he lays his eyes on the pretty and rich Isha (Alia Bhatt). Isha is also fascinated by him, even though the way he accosts her after a party is nothing less than creepy. And before we know it, they are already in love and holding hands.

But Shiva has a couple of secrets. He cannot be burnt by fire, though a past incident makes him scared of it. And he gets visions of a powerful sorceress Junoon (Mouni Roy) and her two hulking sidekicks trying to get hold of the pieces of Brahmastra, already getting to the first guardian. Now both Shiva and Isha go on an adventure to save the other guardians and protect the Brahmastra before Junoon uses it to lead the world to destruction. Also yes, Shiva also needs to learn and control his powers, while also figuring out how he got them.

Watch the Trailer:

Brahmastra is a labour of love alright - you can see the painstaking efforts in trying to create a cinematic experience, while infusing in the mythos that more than 80% of India's population can relate to. The 3D experience is quite good. As for the VFX, it was more of a mixed bag. The special effects work better when it doesn't feel the need to fill up the space. Most striking is the scene where Nagarjuna's character - a guardian of one piece of Brahmastra - invokes the Nandi astra to stop the villain's vehicle (a scene the trailer should have avoided showing, which also should have included a particular star cameo who has Vanarastra... more on him later). However, towards the third act, there is way too much CGI splashed on the screen (what the detractors of the first trailer have called a 'laser show'). As someone who has loved his share of CGI-laden films, too much of CGI is just never good.

There are also times when the VFX is shaky and it doesn't blend well particularly with the jarringly edited action scenes. After the impressive Nandi-astra scene, there is a car chase involving Shiva, Isha and one of Junoon's acolytes that should really have been a pulsating, nervy edge-of-the-seat experience. However, the green-screen effects are noticeable, the camera is quite shaky and there are way too many editing cuts for the scene to register an impact. Even more irksome is the third act, where Shiva and company have to fight Junoon and her mind-controlled army but the action gets lost when the CGI is on overload here.

I can't help but bring out another big-budget entertainer of this very year, that starred a Brahmastra lead and was promoted by its producer - RRR - as a point of reference. While I have my reservations about this global sensation in certain plot aspects, I admire SS Rajamouli's temerity in the manner in which he blended CGI and screen presentation to create punchy, awe-inspiring sequences, be it Jr NTR's intro scene or that mind-baffling pre-interval scene. Brahmastra serves its special effects on a large canvas to the viewer nearly every scene, but doesn't pause itself to allow the viewer to soak it in and feel in awe of it. It also doesn't check itself to create mass moments for its audience to cheer, despite many opportunities to do so.

However, not all is disappointing. Where Ayan excels in his visual storytelling is in the presentation of the larger mythos and what is - if this movie succeeds at the box office - going to be building blocks of the Astraverse. The aforementioned opening animation sequence, and later the retelling of the story of 'Amrita and Dev' are simply enchanting to watch. Sadly, the magic of storytelling involved in these portions do not extend to the rest of the film, and that is truly an oddity. Brahmastra Part 2: Deepika Padukone–Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt–Ranbir Kapoor to Be Part of the Film’s Second Installment – Reports.

Ayan Mukerji's smashing debut Wake Up Sid and his charming (yet problematic) Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani excelled when it comes to how the dramatic scenes are written, the way the characters build up on each other. In Brahmastra, in Ayan's attempts to create a visual experience, the storytelling and the writing around the lead characters are disappointingly compromised. You really don't feel the spark in the love story between Shiva and Isha, so lazily it has been put up together, and despite being a real-life couple, the chemistry between Ranbir and Alia doesn't dazzle (not helped by some very inert dialogues given to them). This is quite crucial, because their' love' plays a crucial part in development of Shiva as a superhero and even in an important portion of the climax, and that totally feels a lost point.

Among the characters, only Shiva is somewhat developed because after all, it is his 'coming of age' story. Isha feels an addon, although she is present in most of the scenes. Saddening is that Alia's services as an actress isn't put to good use here. Even Ranbir isn't very effective, as he struggles against some dodgy writing and even dodgier dialogues to make us take him seriously. He also feels a bit miscast; bruh just doesn't look much of a man who was raised up in poverty and abandonment.

The supporting cast also feels the brunt of the weak writing and poor characterisation. Amitabh Bachchan plays Guru, a Professor X-like figure with two working legs, who is mostly there as a motivation coach and exposition deliverer. Akkineni Nagarjuna is good enough, but he is out of the scene just when we are warming up to him. Mouni Roy phones in a barely effective, almost stone-faced performance in a very one-note, sketchily written character whose motivation to do what she is doing remains mysterious, and that's not intentional.

Guru also has a bunch of kids in his care who have their own Astra-verse powers, and who have their parts to play in the final fight. But these characters are treated so like fillers, that they hardly register any impact even when one of them dies in an Eddie Kaspbrak-manner.

And of course, how can we not talk about cameos when Brahmastra has raised Multiverse of Madness-kinda hype pre-release. Don't worry, I won't be spoiling much here, though it would be better if you skip the next two paras ahead.

There are three main cameos that matter, and one of them is merely, and smartly teased, to create excitement for the next installment of Astraverse. Though the actor's casting is kinda awkward in terms of the person's character in relation to Shiva, and what the actor shared with Ranbir IRL. Still a nice tease.

Of course, many had figured out Shah Rukh Khan is in the movie, something even KJo and Mouni Roy had spoilt earlier. While his character is crucial to the movie, and he sets the wheels in motion and SRK was gracious enough to do this cameo (there is a nod to Swades about his role), I felt the role didn't suit Shah Rukh Khan's superstar persona. Also why is Dimple Kapadia even in the film? Brahmastra: Shah Rukh Khan's Encouragement Note for Ayan Mukerji From 2005 is Going Viral Ahead of His Film's Release.

Pritam's music is decent, with the beautifully picturised "Deva Deva" staying with you even after the film ends, while "Kesariya" loses points, not for that "Love Storiyaan" part, but for how similar it sounds to the Ek Chalis Ki Last Local song. Simon Franglen's BG score, though, is way too overpowering to ears.

PS: Maybe it is because Ayan was inspired by the movies he grow up on to make his own superhero movie, there are plenty of callbacks to other popular fantasy films. From Harry Potter to The Lord of the Rings to X-Men to Star Wars to Doctor Strange... the list goes on. Expect some Redditor to compile those scenes in the days ahead and then accuse the makers of lifting these scenes, like someone recently did with SS Rajamouli.

Yay!

- A Few Stunning Scenes

- The Mythos Building Sequences

Nay!

- The Main Story is Weak and Predictable

- CGI Goes Overboard in Certain Sequences

- Performances Not on Par

Final Thoughts

Ayan's Brahmastra is dazzling to the eyes, but stumbles and fumbles its way to reach your hearts, compromising on writing a good base story and fascinating lead characters so that it can deliver on the visual experience. It reminded me of a dialogue from Ayan's YJHD where Ranbir's character says, "Main udna chahta hun, daudna chahta hoon. Girna bhi chahta hoon. Bas, rukna nahi chahta..." With his most ambitious film, Ayan does spread his wings and takes flight, but I wished he paused there and allowed his dream project to breathe and build a good foundation before going for Astraverse-expanding excesses. Even the MCU had to first make a good solo Iron Man movie and test waters before it aimed for an Avengers franchise. Brahmastra sadly crumbles within its own ambitions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2022 10:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).