Attack (2022) :
Movie Review -
When it comes to the sci-fi genre, Hollywood is far ahead of any other cinema industry in the world. German cinema was ahead of Hollywood when they made "Metropolis" (1927), but once Hollywood entered the genre in the 40s, they just surpassed all the competitors by a margin. In the 70s, Star Wars stunned the entire generation, and in the modern era, Hollywood got Cameron's "Terminator" duology and the groundbreaking "Avatar" (2009). In the midst of these universal blockbusters, there was "Robocop" (1987). A fantastic piece of sci-fi action cinema. No matter how many good films you name made after that, Robocop hasn't got a healthy competitor at all. Whether it is Iron Man or Universal Soldier, they just don't match the timeless Robo action flick. In Indian cinema, we should have made a super cop or super soldier film inspired by it in the 90s only, but we lacked the vision, budget, and, most importantly, filmmakers. RoboCop is 35 now, and we finally attempted something along those lines, so please be happy with that. The entire team of Attack deserves a big round of applause for the attempt, even though it's a little scattered.
Attack is the story of Arjun (John Abraham), a hardcore patriot and a soldier in the Indian Army. He falls in love with an aeroplane cabin crew member, Aisha (Jacqueline Fernandez), but his happy days don't last long. He becomes paralysed after being shot by a terrorist, but then comes Dr. Jiya (Rakul Preet), a scientist who chooses him as a subject for the new experience called "Super Soldier." Having nothing to lose in his life and eager to finish the terrorists, Arjun gives his nod to the experiment and the rest of the story follows his story of becoming India's first super soldier. The basic writing of Attack is really good because the concept looks interesting. It keeps the right balance of patriotism and human emotions, but the screenplay fails to understand the potential. There are lots of dramatic moments in between, which look outdated and irritating when such a fantastic action show is going on. You feel like, let's skip it forward right now. It's that loopy.
Talking about performances, John Abraham puts on a solid show as the first Super Soldier of India. John is quite friendly with action and it comes very natural to him, but in Attack, he has raised the bar of action not just for him but for other Bollywood actors too. This isn't the typical loud and shouting John Abraham we saw in Satyameva Jayate 2 and Mumbai Saga, this John is stable and way different. Jacqueline Fernandez's accent may sound non-traditional and sometimes cheezy, but her beautiful looks are pretty transitional and lovable. The second heroine, Rakul Preet, comes with a very interesting character. A scientist with her morals and a fighter too. Rakul portrays it nicely, and even she isn't as loud as Marjaavan. In the supporting roles, Prakash Raj, Rajit Kapur, Ratna Pathak Shah and Kiran Kumar are too good. The antagonist, played by Elham Ehsas, will take you by surprise.
Coming to noteworthy points, "Attack" is a damn interesting script. But it should have been handled more smartly. The action sequences are just superb. Something that you haven't seen in Bollywood so far. The bullet sequences, combat mode fight sequences, super fast hand combat, and engaging stunts, Attack packs a solid punch of everything. The dialogues are grounded, sometimes funny and satirical too. It even tries to make fun of the media, politicians, and ministers, and you will enjoy every joke about it. One of the biggest loo breaks in Attack is the music. The romantic song in the first quarter does nothing except bore you with typical romance, and you hate watching it as you have already made up your mind to watch an action-packed film. However, "Main Nai Tuttna" is a powerful number, I must say. It is a situational and very inspiring one.
What pulls Attack down is the scattered storytelling. It was supposed to be a tight action drama, but it has a lot of dramatic errors that ruin the momentum. Ok, so our soldier os fighting hard to kee lo his dream and real life separate, but he just can't get over those slow romantic flashbacks when reckless terrorist are about to kill him. It should've been a songless film - that must have been very helpful. Director Lakshya Raj Anand definitely brings something never before seen to the table. But he fails to serve in royal style. Attack has its ups and downs, and believe me, if those downs had been removed, it would have ended up as a freaking amazing sci-fi action flick. Sadly, the opportunity has passed now. Attack does not provide anything extraordinary, but it deserves to be watched for its brave attempt. John Abraham's fans can rejoice as their star has brought something unique this time, and they are gonna love his new avatar. Moreover, sci-fi action fans got everything they asked for, so overall it's an enjoyable affair for them. Let's see what this team has to offer in Attack Part 2, and hopefully they will do better.
RATING - 5/10*
When it comes to the sci-fi genre, Hollywood is far ahead of any other cinema industry in the world. German cinema was ahead of Hollywood when they made "Metropolis" (1927), but once Hollywood entered the genre in the 40s, they just surpassed all the competitors by a margin. In the 70s, Star Wars stunned the entire generation, and in the modern era, Hollywood got Cameron's "Terminator" duology and the groundbreaking "Avatar" (2009). In the midst of these universal blockbusters, there was "Robocop" (1987). A fantastic piece of sci-fi action cinema. No matter how many good films you name made after that, Robocop hasn't got a healthy competitor at all. Whether it is Iron Man or Universal Soldier, they just don't match the timeless Robo action flick. In Indian cinema, we should have made a super cop or super soldier film inspired by it in the 90s only, but we lacked the vision, budget, and, most importantly, filmmakers. RoboCop is 35 now, and we finally attempted something along those lines, so please be happy with that. The entire team of Attack deserves a big round of applause for the attempt, even though it's a little scattered.
Attack is the story of Arjun (John Abraham), a hardcore patriot and a soldier in the Indian Army. He falls in love with an aeroplane cabin crew member, Aisha (Jacqueline Fernandez), but his happy days don't last long. He becomes paralysed after being shot by a terrorist, but then comes Dr. Jiya (Rakul Preet), a scientist who chooses him as a subject for the new experience called "Super Soldier." Having nothing to lose in his life and eager to finish the terrorists, Arjun gives his nod to the experiment and the rest of the story follows his story of becoming India's first super soldier. The basic writing of Attack is really good because the concept looks interesting. It keeps the right balance of patriotism and human emotions, but the screenplay fails to understand the potential. There are lots of dramatic moments in between, which look outdated and irritating when such a fantastic action show is going on. You feel like, let's skip it forward right now. It's that loopy.
Talking about performances, John Abraham puts on a solid show as the first Super Soldier of India. John is quite friendly with action and it comes very natural to him, but in Attack, he has raised the bar of action not just for him but for other Bollywood actors too. This isn't the typical loud and shouting John Abraham we saw in Satyameva Jayate 2 and Mumbai Saga, this John is stable and way different. Jacqueline Fernandez's accent may sound non-traditional and sometimes cheezy, but her beautiful looks are pretty transitional and lovable. The second heroine, Rakul Preet, comes with a very interesting character. A scientist with her morals and a fighter too. Rakul portrays it nicely, and even she isn't as loud as Marjaavan. In the supporting roles, Prakash Raj, Rajit Kapur, Ratna Pathak Shah and Kiran Kumar are too good. The antagonist, played by Elham Ehsas, will take you by surprise.
Coming to noteworthy points, "Attack" is a damn interesting script. But it should have been handled more smartly. The action sequences are just superb. Something that you haven't seen in Bollywood so far. The bullet sequences, combat mode fight sequences, super fast hand combat, and engaging stunts, Attack packs a solid punch of everything. The dialogues are grounded, sometimes funny and satirical too. It even tries to make fun of the media, politicians, and ministers, and you will enjoy every joke about it. One of the biggest loo breaks in Attack is the music. The romantic song in the first quarter does nothing except bore you with typical romance, and you hate watching it as you have already made up your mind to watch an action-packed film. However, "Main Nai Tuttna" is a powerful number, I must say. It is a situational and very inspiring one.
What pulls Attack down is the scattered storytelling. It was supposed to be a tight action drama, but it has a lot of dramatic errors that ruin the momentum. Ok, so our soldier os fighting hard to kee lo his dream and real life separate, but he just can't get over those slow romantic flashbacks when reckless terrorist are about to kill him. It should've been a songless film - that must have been very helpful. Director Lakshya Raj Anand definitely brings something never before seen to the table. But he fails to serve in royal style. Attack has its ups and downs, and believe me, if those downs had been removed, it would have ended up as a freaking amazing sci-fi action flick. Sadly, the opportunity has passed now. Attack does not provide anything extraordinary, but it deserves to be watched for its brave attempt. John Abraham's fans can rejoice as their star has brought something unique this time, and they are gonna love his new avatar. Moreover, sci-fi action fans got everything they asked for, so overall it's an enjoyable affair for them. Let's see what this team has to offer in Attack Part 2, and hopefully they will do better.
RATING - 5/10*