War 2 Movie Review: Hrithik Roshan fights for India, romances Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in a VFX heavy spy thriller

War 2 Movie Review: Ayan Mukerji- the man who gave us the brilliant Wake Up! Sid and enjoyable Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani takes a leap of faith to give us the most massy film of his career, YRF-backed War 2. Part of the studio's Spyverse, War 2 picks up from where War (2019) had ended and gives us two new heroes- Kabir (Hrithik Roshan) and Vikram (Jr NTR, making his Bollywood debut in this one). The result should have been electrifying -considering it combines the best of North and South cinema- but falls into the usual trappings of an illogical, larger-than-life spy film that Bollywood- particularly YRF- has been feeding us for the past few years. War 2 thrills but also gives a sense of Deja Vu, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

Story is never the biggest asset of YRF's Spyverse, but it always manages to feature a gamut of prominent faces from the Indian film industry in key roles. So I wasn't expecting a great story here. But War 2 movie also has Aditya Chopra as the writer (the guy who gave us the iconic DDLJ and YRF head), Abbas Tyrewala's dialogues (director, writer of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na) and Mukerji helming the affair. Naturally, expectations double up for cinema lovers. But War 2 not just underutilises its actors but also its creators. The result is a very predictable, tried and tested plot that thrills only in the first half and then becomes tedious in the second.

Plot of War 2 movie

Major Kabir (Hrithik) is on the run. RAW thinks he has killed his mentor Colonel Luthra ( Ashutosh Rana), and his daughter Kavya (Kiara Advani ) wants to avenge her father's death. To track down Kabir, they hire their best officer, Major Vikram (NTR), to do the job. The man who pulls the trigger before thinking doesn't fear anyone and has a 100 per cent strike rate. But when you pit the best against the best, fireworks are bound to occur. Vikram and Kabir are mirror images of each other in terms of sharpness and capabilities. Does Vikram get to do the job? Is Kabir a murderer? Does Kavya avenge her father's death?

As Kabir makes the RAW agents go on a wild goose chase, the officers also have to thwart an assassination plot involving the Indian PM in Davos. Will they be able to crack the case or will RAW chief Kaul (Anil Kapoor) be forced to bring in Kabir, his best officer on board?

What works in War 2

From the gorgeous locations, to mind-numbing action sequences, to a bikini-clad pool romance to some jugalbandi on the dance floor- War 2 checks a lot of boxes that make a Hindi spy film work. Both Hrithik and Jr NTR are presented on screen in larger than life avatar. No bullet, deadly animal, weather hazards or speeding trains can harm our heroes. They jump off cliffs from speeding trains, take on packs of men mid-air and mid-sea, fight in igloos in just t-shirts and cargoes without shivering even once and manage to escape unscathed from burning vessels and planes.

It's all there. Hrithik brings in his usual swagger and charm while NTR, who looks a lot fitter, plays the brooding, egotistical RAW agent with great ease. The two actors have been crowd pullers in their respective industries, are not just pitted against each other but also made to dance together, much like Hrithik had done in War with Tiger Shroff. While Hrithik looks comfortable doing the complicated steps, NTR looks diligent and conscious, trying to match Hrithik's effortless style.

What does not work in War 2 movie

War 2 suffers mostly because the film doesn't deliver anything new. We know the story, we can guess or sense the twists. While the first half is thrilling and takes a lot of effort to present the two heroes gloriously on screen, the second half meanders through a very poor storyline. In an to keep it engaging, Chopra throws in too many twists and even a side story of long lost friends getting reunited again- but this one is working for the country and others against it.

The film depends heavily on VFX, and it isn't the best. Some of the shots are so shoddily done, one can almost imagine the actors performing in front of a green screen.

There are too many flashbacks, Kabir's backstory about how he is from the streets, his relationship with Kavya and a fleeting mention of his love lost in Nisha (Vaani Kapoor) in the first film.

Because the film is called War, the word is used a LOT throughout the film along with the word 'warrior'. Turns out every RAW agent is a Warrior. One could easily start a drinking game and take shots every time the words ‘War’ and ‘Warrior’ are used.

The climax suddenly becomes a track of confessions and redemptions. At one point, while slinging an ice axe towards Hrithik, NTR talks of heartbreak and betrayal. At one Hrithik clutches a bleeding NTR's face and talks about friendship and never letting one's bestie go. I almost thought that the two men would end up kissing each other- and that would make for a greater plot twist than anything else, but alas, Chopra and Mukerji shy away from going the extra mile and stick to dosti only.

Bromance over saving the nation

War movie had Shroff's character idolising Roshan's Kabir. It had also started wild fan theories of how the film could have been just a gay love story. War 2 will also likely give way to more such theories because the film in the second half becomes about two friends, rising from the streets and then one being betrayed by the other. There is an undercurrent romance between Vikram and Kabir- no one can convince me otherwise.

The movie War 2 begins with a lot of potential but ends in a whimper. Roshan looks great, even though much older than NTR and Kiara Advani (we are told they are all of the same age). NTR and Kiara too look a million bucks in their chiselled avatars. But the film fails to thrill or leave a lasting impression. It is, in fact, just another film in YRF's ever-growing spy universe, making way for its female spy film Alpha starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari.

War 2 ultimately is an exhausting and tedious sequel to its original. It's more about bromance and heartbreak than about spies.

War 2 is now playing in cinemas.