War 2 movie review: Hrithik Roshan, NTR Jr try to light up the screen, while plot goes on vacation

War 2 movie review: Directed by Ayan Mukerji, it features Hrithik Roshan and NTR Jr in a spy drama that struggles with a convoluted plot.

War 2 movie review
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani
Rating: ★★.5

War 2 movie review: Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR face off against each other in this YRF Spy Universe movie.

"You're the villain!"

"No, you're the villain!"

"Actually, everyone’s the villain!"

"Fine. No one’s the villain. Can we breathe now?"

And thus marches War 2, a shiny amalgamation of every spy drama trope dusted off from the cinematic attic. The latest entry in Yash Raj Film's SpyVerse scored a casting coup: Hrithik Roshan and NTR Jr together in one frame, sending fans into an early frenzy. That frenzy, much like the film itself, has been both a gift and a curse.

War 2: What is the plot?

The first half is spent on the grand entries of our two heroes, and to be fair, that part is done very well. But soon enough, it is back to the same old mission and dishoom-dishoom. NTR and Hrithik share good chemistry, but it does not tear the screen apart as per the expectations. Mostly because their characters are not all that interesting. Towards the interval, there is an interesting turn of events. Groundbreaking? No.

A dull affair

It is another recycled story from Shridhar Raghavan, who has already penned Pathaan, War and Tiger 3 for YRF. Kiara’s character vanishes from the narrative midway through the first half, but you are too busy trying to make sense of what is going on to notice. The constant mishmash of action and chase sequences wears you out, and every entry of Hrithik and NTR is in slow motion, almost instructing their fans, "Here is your hero, clap."

The backstory tries to resuscitate the second half, but by then, scrolling Instagram seems far more exciting.

The action is fine. Elevated by the sheer passion Hrithik and NTR bring, but still fine. And if I may say, even without a convincing enough motive, NTR edges out Hrithik just a teeny bit.

The music is a letdown. Pritam delivers a beautiful composition with Aavan Jaavan, but Janaab E Ali, both in tune and picturisation, never takes off. One cannot help but recall how electric Jai Jai Shiv Shankar was in the first War.

In the end, War 2 is not really about who the villain is. It is about how even the biggest guns can fire blanks. The mid-credit scene was a bigger banger, just imagine.