Kalki 2898 AD Review - A visual spectacle that commands a big screen watch

3/5

Kalki 2898 AD movie review

Kalki 2898 AD story

Set in the year 2898 AD and in the city of Kashi, Supreme Yaskin (Kamal Haasan) is a powerful force that runs the world of COMPLEX. His only aim is to find a fertile woman so that he can extract serum from her womb and become the world's strongest man. On the other hand, Bhairava (Prabhas) is a bounty hunter who wants to enter COMPLEX to lead a happy life. After testing thousands of women, Yaksin picks Sumati (Deepika Padukone), who is the perfect match to extract the serum. 

But Sumati is freed from the clutches of Yaskin's men by the people of Shambhala. At the same time, Ashwathama (Amitabh Bachchan) enters COMPLEX to save Sumati. Does he save her? What is Bhairava's role in Ashwathama's mission, and how is the Kalki universe connected to the Mahabharata? To know the answers, you need to watch the film on the big screen.

Kalki 2898 AD review

The first thing that catches your imagination in Kalki 2898 AD is the sheer scale of the film and mind-blowing visuals. Kudos to director Nag Ashwin for taking Indian cinema to the next level with Kalki. The way he has created a new world is jaw-dropping; he takes you on a ride filled with action-packed thrills and larger-than-life characters. With a runtime of just above 3 hours, Kalki has the biggest stars and cameos by famous heroes who will thrill you at regular intervals.

The story is vast and has multiple layers, but Nag Ashwin narrates the film in a very detailed manner. That is the reason Kalki feels a bit lengthy, especially in the first half. There are some characters who could have been edited out. For instance, Disha Patani's role and the song in the first half could have been completely avoided. But Nag Ashwin scores with the fantastic production design. The gadgets used, the VFX, and the costume design—everything looks top-notch.

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The manner in which the character of Kamal Haasan is introduced and the visuals shown are mind-blowing. The moment Prabhas enters the scene, things go to the next level. But sadly, Nag Ashwin has showcased Prabhas in a humorous manner. This aspect is stretched way too much and there is nothing much Prabhas can do here. But fans will be satisfied as Nag Ashwin saves the best for him in the second half and ends the film on a high.

Kalki 2898 AD has a strong connection to the Mahabharata, and the manner in which Nag Ashwin interlinks the past and the future is superb. The first 30 minutes of the film are quite engaging. Kalki 2898 AD has an exceptional second half. The action-packed episodes are executed in a solid manner, leaving us asking for more. The Mahabharata scenes and the cameos of stars are nicely induced in the narrative.

Nag Ashwin sets up a perfect tone for the sequel and also announces the Kalki cinematic universe in a solid manner in the climax. Having said this, the first half of the film is a bit slow. The makers should have chopped at least 10 minutes off. A fight featuring Prabhas is dragged out way too much. Deepika Padukone gets the meaty role of a pregnant subject, and she does a good job.

However, if you think Kalki 2898 AD is a Prabhas film, you will be mistaken. It is Amitabh Bachchan's show all the way, as he has a decisive role, more screen time, and solid action episodes that only build up the intensity of the proceedings. Even at his age, Amitabh Bachchan does the action sequences superbly and is showcased in a solid manner in the film.

Prabhas is excellent in the film and evokes good laughs. The elevation episodes showcased for him in the second half are quite good. Disha Patani's role is silly, but Shobhana is neat in her essential character. Anna Ben gets a super cool action episode along with Pasupathy, and the duo is terrific.

Kalki 2898 AD falls a bit short when it comes to drama. The emotions are decent but not arresting. If more emphasis was put on the emotional aspect, Kalki 2898 AD would have made a lot of difference. Nag Ashwin had a lot of scope to elevate fan moments, but he failed to elevate the proceedings with a gripping screenplay.

Djordje Stojiljkovic’s cinematography is outstanding, and the amazing VFX only enhances it. The futuristic world created in the film takes the production design to a whole new level. For an Indian film, Kalki 2898 AD is the best when it comes to visuals and VFX. The songs composed by Santhosh Narayanan are not that great, but his background score is very good.

The dialogues are cool, and the conversations between Prabhas and his car, whose voice has been given by Keerthy Suresh, are amazing. In a way, Kalki 2898 AD is visually stunning, but drama-wise, it could have been a lot better. But all the tiny complaints the fans have are covered with a stunning climax and amazing action episodes.

Kalki 2898 AD has been made on a huge budget, and every penny spent is shown on screen. Barring the slow pace, the film's multi-star cast and stylish making will go down well with the audience, and the film will surely break new records at the box office.

Kalki 2898 AD verdict

On the whole, Kalki 2898 AD is a technically brilliant film with never-before-seen visuals in an Indian film. The presence of A-listers and amazing action episodes make for a big-screen watch. Just ignore the slow pace.

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