24 Movie Review
Review Overview
Performances
Story and Narration
Technical Aspects and BGM
Audacious, accessible sci-fi ride
Touting up, 24 is an extremely well-presented show, with Suriya driving the chariot. Vikram Kumar continues to instill faith into his viewers that complicated content can easily be toned down to make it understandable to common audiences, without dumbing it down too far.
Cast: Suriya, Samantha, Nithya Menen, Girish Karnad, Saranya, Sathyan, Mohan Raman & others
Cinematography: Tirru & Kiran Deohans
Music: AR Rahman
Editing: Prawin Pudi
Make Up: Clover Wootton & Preetisheel Singh
Stunts: Anbariv
Art Direction: Amit Ray & Subrata Chakraborty
Animator: Rahul Saxena
VFX Supervisor: Julien Troussellier
Written & Directed by: Vikram Kumar
Produced by: KE Gnanavel Raja & Suriya
Banner: Studio Green & 2D Entertainment Pvt Ltd
Distribution: Eros International
Release Date: 06-05-2016
Run Time: 02:44:00
With clever writing and marvelous staging, 24 is indeed an audacious attempt from Vikram Kumar and his men. The film packs in a stunning performance from Suriya, towering technical values, a superb ensemble cast and the brain of a director who thrives on imaginative content. Despite its ability to bring about an impact, 24 succeeds in putting together a genuine sci-fi thriller which checks a lot of boxes.
Vikram Kumar is a magician, doubtlessly. His thought process and clarity of narration is on another level, as it sits in line with today’s generation and is still accessible from 6 to 60. There are a lot of moments in the film where one can realize the worth of this director, especially in the chained events where he joins the dots with absolute delight. Where Vikram downs on you, is in the romantic portions between Suriya and Samantha. After the first hour which moves at a breakneck, the kiddish chit-chat between the lead pair really do take a painful toll on the viewer, fluctuating the proceedings. If not for these portions which are hard to overlook, 24 is a solid sci-fi thriller which you could well consider a treat.
And most of this treat wouldn’t have been possible without the brilliance of the actor in Suriya. Pulling off an impressive show in three shades, he is there in almost every frame of the film. Vikram also provides enough room for the heroism, without overdoing it. Suriya as Athreya is simply menacing, and the voice modulations do work out very well. After Suriya, it is Saranya Mohan who walks away with maximum praise while Nitya Menon in a fairly unique role does make her mark.
Cinematographer Tirru truly takes the visuals of 24 upto Hollywood standards with his artistic camera that transforms even the simplest of locations into pure eye-candy. Aided by great lighting, colouring, adequate editing and meticulous production design, 24 goes down as one of the best products on the technical front. It is only in AR Rahman’s pedestrian music that the excitement dips, be it the songs or the background score which don’t go for the home run.
In spite of all the shortcomings, 24 is an extremely well-presented show, with Suriya driving the chariot. Vikram Kumar continues to instill faith into his viewers that complicated content can easily be toned down to make it understandable to common audiences, without dumbing it down too far. 24 may not be wholly convincing, but is surely a film worth watching for the top notch writing and the never-seen-before experience it provides. The road ahead, is bright for any team who abide by these commandments.
24 Movie Review Rating: 3.25/5
Also read our other Tamil Movie Reviews