Good Bad Ugly

Good Bad Ugly (GBU) marks Ajith Kumar's return to his vintage, massy self. And boy, does he return with a bang! This is what I call a self-conscious movie-one that very well understands the pulse and expectations of a select group of audience, and sets out to satisfy the cravings of that identified segment. That being said, it may not be everyone's cup of tea. You'll either leave the cinema absolutely loving it or end up questioning your life decisions.

At its core, this is a movie about a loving dad who would do anything to right the wrongs for his son. But that's probably just 20% of the movie-the remaining 80% is full-on Ajith Kumar 'massacre'.

The film is filled with callbacks to some of the hero's past classics-be it dialogues, looks, or even reenactments from earlier films. From 'Vaali' to 'Billa' to 'Mankatha', nothing is spared. Fans get to witness "Vintage AK" (yes, that exact phrase is used in the film), as the man is once again portrayed, celebrated, and worshipped by everyone in reel and real like a godlike figure.

The film sets out to do just one thing, and only that: serve diehard fans of AK with enough substance to sustain them for the coming years, especially with the actor announcing a break from movies to focus on his racing career.

While it's clearly a "leave-your-brains-behind" kind of fan-service ride, it doesn't aim to cater to all shades of AK fandom. Instead, it's primarily designed to appeal to one specific archetype of Ajith fan-the 'mass masala' lover. If you identify as one, GBU is going to be one crazy, wild ride. However, if you're going in to watch Ajith the performer or the actor, there isn't much space for that in this movie.

All said, the film is brimming with everything that defines AK's icon status-his slow-mo walks, his suits-and-sunglasses look, his dedication to pulling off high-octane stunts, cheeky one-liners, and much more. All of that is generously sprinkled across the runtime. But while the movie perfects the 'icing,' it fumbles when it comes to baking the 'cake' itself.

You have to commend the director's intention to create something colourful, loud, and nonchalant. The sheer volume of AK references, nostalgia, and stylised moments keeps hitting you without rest. Barring a few great moments that land fantastically (including a banger of an interval block), most of these odes to the past end up looking forced and flat.

Good Bad Ugly perhaps would've worked even better for the general audience too had it gone fully spoof-mode, delivering something wacky, nonsensical, and fourth-wall-breaking with AK. For instance, we get a completely random, never-imagined-before kind of gangster origin story of the "Red Dragon," featuring some unexpected 'international' cameos. These portions were totally wild and unexpected.

As for the technical aspects, the editing felt a little choppy at times, but to be able to squeeze in so much into a 2-hour-20-minute runtime is gargantuan-and it is indeed a commendable effort. GV Prakash's music is loud and complements the over-the-top vibe the film is aiming for. However, the same songs, the same BGMs, and the same hero shots get repeated too often. Once is a surprise, twice it's tiresome.

The warm tonality of the film too is well-suited for a story of this nature, and AK the star shines bright in almost every look, get-up, and outfit he dons.

There's not much to say about standout performances, as most of the supporting cast is relegated to simply singing praises of the hero and adding no value to the screenplay or plot.

Ajith, too, has very little scope to perform in this film, but this man understood the assignment and delivered exactly what a certain sector of his fans have been craving from him all along.

Overall, GBU is not for everyone-but ultimately, it's an all-out Ajith Kumar show from start to finish.

This movie is equivalent to watching 60 instagram reels. More brainrot than reels.

From the beginning, the unwanted over hype to the character spoiled the movie to the core. And he just walks, talks. Does absolutely nothing, over hype overkill. Every character was ill developed, no character had good acting. Even Ajith Trisha acted insanely bad and worst in their career. Every actor had only one line of character and they stuck to it. Peakest BS was the son character.

"Movie for the fans" - please do not make stupidity a thing for fans. We fans like good acting from our favourite heroes, good script selection from our favourite heroes and overall good cinema from our favourite heroes. Mass is not everything. And... this kinda mass is not worth looking at.

Good things first and the only good thing about this movie is its story .. a decent storyline which has a good meat for AJITH as an actor ...but the entire storyline is completely spoiled by an atrocious screenplay with rehashes of past Ajith movies, too loud unnecessary BGMs and irritating non related old hit songs for every character in the movie... Screenplay is a total mess like typical Adhik movie (remember AAA Simbu movie...Adhik is back...) making the movie a very tedious and irritating watch.. over hyped in the name of fan boy and not expected Ajith in such a movie of self proclamation hype from first to end scene... Irritating bullet firings from all directions with absolutely no logic... Villain Arjun Das has as usual given his best but looks a big misfit... As usual Jackie Shroff and few other villains too come and go in blink and miss with tantrums of Ajith.... In fact we would have never seen Ajith in self tantrums in any of his previous films like this....but in every scene becomes too irritating.... The movie is nothing but some bits and pieces of scenes with nonlogical connection into a decent storyline... Simran in few scenes irrelevant but looks gorgeous ..... Prasanna in a insignificant role.... Strictly only if you want to watch Ajith in all scenes in slow motion hype...

The story's got a few bits that'll tickle your fancy, nothing mind-blowing, but not a total dog's breakfast either. The narration's proper lively - classic Adhik Ravichandran stuff - flashy, loud, and full of beans.

The screenplay tries to throw in a few curveballs - some land with a bang, others just fizzle. The first half? Quite the cracker. Second half? Bit of a snooze-fest, if we're honest. The climax saves it from going completely pear-shaped. Ajith's die-hard fans will be chuffed, no doubt, but for the average punter, it's just a middling watch.

Ajith's smashing in a role that fits him like a glove. Trisha's looking like a right stunner and puts in a tidy performance. The rest of the gang do the job, no faff, no fuss.

The background score's got some kick in a few scenes, not too shabby. Cinematography and production design? Decent enough - nothing to write home about, but not half bad.

All in all, give it a go this weekend if you fancy a bit of popcorn and telly - just don't rock up with sky-high hopes.

I was sitting in the theatre holding my head flabbergasted, unable to believe I was watching something like that. One of the worst movies I've watched in my entire life. Adhik na's Mark Antony was mind blowing good and the humor was marvellous and also I love Ajith sir's movie, but this one has disappointed me for life. There is nothing in the story of the movie other than reference. Poor editing, story and stunts, gave me a headache. Everything else - Choreography, performances were extremely good. Films that captivate people are good films, but the thing that this film has captivated a lot of people has me worrying.