Citadel: Honey Bunny

Citadel: Honey Bunny, an Indian spinoff in Amazon Prime Video's Citadel universe, attempts to build on the espionage-thriller foundation set by its parent series. With Raj & DK at the helm and a promising cast led by Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, the series holds some potential but ultimately misses its mark. Raj & DK bring their signature style to the direction. After the intriguing setup, the plot progresses in a way that's more expected than exciting, failing to bring the fresh, high-stakes energy audiences might anticipate from a spy drama.

The series oscillates between two timelines, 1992 and 2000, following Honey and Bunny, played by Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, who portray the parents of Priyanka Chopra's character from the original series. Initially, Citadel: Honey Bunny offers well-crafted backstories for the lead characters, drawing viewers into their world with a strong start. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes sluggish and predictable, lacking the twists and depth essential for an engaging espionage thriller. One area where Citadel: Honey Bunny shines is its action. The sequences are well-choreographed. John's cinematography captures the action sequences effectively, adding a layer of visual appeal that complements the series' ambitious themes.

Varun Dhawan impresses with his portrayal, particularly in the emotional scenes. Samantha Ruth Prabhu is equally gripping as Honey, delivering a performance full of intensity. Together, they execute the heavy-duty action scenes with commendable skill. The supporting cast offers additional highlights. Shivankit Singh Parihar is impressive. Kay Kay Menon is outstanding. Kashvi Majmundar performance is both adorable and impressive. While the performances are praiseworthy, the show's sluggish pacing and predictable plot make it a less-than-thrilling watch. Only action sequences and cinematography are notable highlights.

Raj and DK bring style, but the story feels predictable and lacks the edge you'd expect in a spy thriller. Impressive performances by Varun & Samantha, plus great action and cinematography, bring some excitement, but the sluggish pacing holds it back.

Direction 3/5 Acting 3/5 Action 3/5 Story 2.5/5 Screenplay 2/5.

Didn't expect this from Raj and dk.

This is the worst work done by them. I have watched countless movies and webseries in my lifetime and in my opinion this is just an average series.

There are only a few positive aspects of this series.

1. The cinematography of this series is nicely done.(especially in the last episode) 2. All the actors have done a great job. (But sometimes in Samantha's dialogue and expression the situation doesn't fit completely,maybe it's because of her native language is not hindi) 3. The BGM of the entire series is nicely composed. It fits with the situation.

Now let's talk about negative aspects of the movie.

1. I don't know why but everytime when the story goes back and forth (1992 and 2000) they display the year everytime and I don't quite like it. They should have themed the series according to the years displayed. For example they could have given a slight dark gray themed in the year 1992 so it wouldn't be necessary to tell each and every time the years that are being showed.

2. The overall storyline of the series is very average and predictable in my opinion.

3. Sometimes the series goes out of the track it doesn't focu on the story. There are lots of scenes that wouldn't impact the overall story even if they weren't in the series.

4. In my opinion this series could have been a 2 and a half hrs movie instead of a 5 hrs series. The story could have been completed in 2 hrs there's nothing extra to make a series about it.

Honestly the another series of this franchise Citadel:Diana was also below average series.

5. There are alot of parts where the makers doesn't showcase things which could be impactful in the series.

Summary: This is an average series if you want to watch it then it's upon you. If you think you can watch a 5hrs series which could have been a 2hrs movie then go ahead. But if you don't want to waste your 5 hrs then I don't recommend watching it.

The final question is: Is it worth watching?

In my opinion No.

A complete waste of a webseries with no proper storyline, poor screenplay, no proper emotional connect as well.. The movie shuttles between 1992 and 2000 but the cars, locations, guns and technology look more modern than that times which itself kills the authenticity of the plot.. They all fight for some "Thing" which is not properly explained about the meaning or significance which makes it boring.. Good cast but honestly not able to see good chemistry of the leads... Also good actors chosen and wasted...As usual surprises in betrayals which can no more excite and due to diwali too much of guns and crackers which also makes it very dull watch... Thankfully does not give a big lead with openended sub stories for season 2... There are no motivating factor for watching its part 2...

Now that I've watched all three of the Citadel series--American, Italian, and Indian--I can compare them to each other, which I don't think is the original idea, but I'll do it anyway. But, that comes later.

Anyway, Citadel: Honey Bunny is a difficult six-parter to work your way through, even though it had some pretty good action sequences. But, the story is so lame and the actors are not engaging enough at bringing their characters to life or to make me want to care. The kid was the best actor to watch.

Now, to the comparison. Of the three installments, and much to my surprise, I'm enjoying the Italian, "Diana" the best. In fact, I've watched it several times. Though it lacked great action ("Honey Bunny" wins the Action prize), the "Diana" episodes draw you in, make you care about what happens to the characters--and Italy has never been more beautiful. Finally, the original "Citadel" comes in second because of it's clever plot twist, and the best acting cast of the three.

Final scores:

Diana = A- Citadel = B Honey Bunny = C+

Citadel Honey Bunny was a major letdown. The storyline felt disjointed, and the pacing was all over the place, making it hard to stay engaged. The characters lacked depth, and their development felt forced, making it difficult to connect with them or care about their journey. The plot seemed to be trying too hard to be suspenseful but ended up feeling predictable and cliché. Despite a promising premise, the execution just didn't deliver. The dialogue was cringe-worthy at times, and the attempts at humor fell flat. Overall, Citadel Honey Bunny was a disappointment and not worth the time. Now it's all up to you.