Master Movie Review

The hype and frenzy for any big film in Tamil cinema is something which takes the mercury sky high. And when we have a film releasing after months of silence, it ought to matter a lot. Master is indeed the big bet to revive the film industry, and it has finally arrived with loads of expectations on its head. How has the end product turned out?

With a lot of vigour, Master has its story set in a college, and later moves into a juvenile home. While the film doesn’t have much of a storyline to dive into, its screenplay pattern is interestingly set up, more importantly in the first half. Until the interval mark, the film is near perfect and there’s nothing much to complain about. On the other hand, the second half has its slow patches and drags but still redeems itself with a kick-ass final stretch that makes it a worthy watch on the whole.

Master has been talked out as a 50-50. 50% of a Thalapathy Vijay film, and 50% of a Lokesh Kanagaraj film. But when one does watch the film, feelings do arise that it is more of the former and comparatively lesser of the latter.

Master is a star-centric celebration from every angle that you look at it, as it presents Thalapathy Vijay in one of his best avatars, and gives him loads of good sequences to showcase his acting skills which have been unveiled more in the recent parts of his career. The film’s biggest strength is its action sequences, as there is no dearth for the amount of style, swag and terrific stunt work that it brings along.

Thalapathy Vijay delivers another strong and suave performance as JD, the alcoholic professor who has his life overturned by the situations that he comes across. There’s enough and more to gobble up for Vijay’s fans, who will be enthralled at the star’s fluency in everything that he does. Vijay Sethupathi, who aptly fits into the requirements of the film, smacks in a powerful performance proving why the team went behind him for the role. In some sequences, the actor almost overshadows Vijay with his super enjoyable act. Arjun Das is definitely the third in the list when it comes to those who make a mark, getting in all our attention with his powerful voice and the impressive work that he puts in. There are a lot of members in the cast, but these are the three who make an impression.

Technically, Master is solid with Sathyan Sooryan’s splendid cinematography packing in glossy frames with a touch of raw realism. He needs to be lauded for the work that he has put in the second half, with a special mention to his camera placements. Anirudh’s music once again turns out to be the backbone of the film, with rocking cues continuously playing from end to end in the soundtrack. Stunt Silva deserves a standing applause for his stunt work in the film, with Lokesh’s creative process in the same helping big time.

Yet, Master struggles with its pacing issues and the lack of exciting screenplay in the second half, only to turn things around in the final half an hour. The film is knit together as a big fat tale of cat and mouse, and it works out to an extent despite its flaws.  Master Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas

Master Movie Review Rating: 3/5