RRR Review!

 Alright! Today I'm reviewing the foreign hit of 2022, the Tollywood smash that had Americans everywhere feeling a bit more cultured for having the tenacity to deal with subtitles - RRR. RRR is the story of real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem and the fictionalized story of how they became best friends, fought one another, and then threw tigers at British officers to prove a point about colonialism.

My favorite thing about RRR was easily the unassuming joy of the film. With over-the-top explosions, set pieces, musical cues, and dance numbers, it would be easy for it to become a "Turn off your brain and enjoy" movie. However, it never feels dumb or stupid in a way lots of over-the-top media does. Instead, every genre the film includes feels like a completely natural extension of where the film should go next. The giant dance number isn't "Wow, it's a random dance number for no reason." There's a plot-oriented, character-building, thematic relevancy to the dance number that makes it never lose the entertainment factor (That and it’s fantastically choreographed). 

The gist of the film goes something like this - think of a genre. Think of the most stereotypical way to do that genre. Then do that stereotype, but do it with such eager earnestness that it becomes wholly endearing and entertaining. That's what RRR is doing at rapid speed, taking elements ripped straight from a mid-2000s rom-com and a mid-2000s Michael Bay action spectacular and then blending the two in fantastic harmony while still telling a touching and emotional story of friendship, historical revolution, and one-man quests to hail the victorious dead. And to boot, it does all of that without belittling or ignoring the fact that its two central characters are freedom fighters first and foremost, fighting the cruel British Raj. 

And if a character-driven tale of unlikely friendship isn't enough, there's a ton of well-choreographed, fast-paced action throughout that, like everything else in the film, would become absolutely ridiculous if not for the fact that it is done with the utmost sense of sincerity. It's always pertinent to the plot moving forward, meaning the film's momentum continues throughout its runtime - three hours. Three hours of nearly nonstop momentum.

However, this is not to say that the film's pacing is without fault. Three hours is a long time for any movie, even one as entertaining as RRR. Certain flashbacks within the film go on for just a titch too long. While nothing ever really drags, it certainly is exhausting to be this engrossed in a film for three hours. Just the tiniest bit of tighter pacing - maybe ten minutes - would have transformed this film from "near perfect" to "without flaw." 

But that's my one complaint with RRR. Other than that, the movie’s a slam dunk. Committed actors who exude charm, fantastic stakes and scale, a banger of a soundtrack (And the only time I’ve voluntarily listened to something published by T-Series), and the sheer energy of r/humansbeingbros are all irresistible pros. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the 16-minute long flashback smack dab in the middle of the film that I felt disrupted the pacing monumentally. 

Speaking of that soundtrack, this movie's soundtrack is an absolute... what is it that the kids say nowadays... bop? It "slaps?" Yes, it slaps. I was especially fond of the "Dosti" music number that plays several times throughout the film in key moments. The lyrics are so on the nose that they can't help but feel cheesy, but the percussion elements are so on-point that they can't help but feel epic. Plus, the music video exudes "me and the bois" energy. 

In a world where nearly every high-profile release is a sequel, a continuation, a revamp, reboot, remake, weekly streaming show, or intended to launch a cinematic universe, RRR is refreshingly original. Instead of feeling like it was made because it might make money, it feels like it was made to tell a wonderful, passionate story of the greatest bromance since Shawn and Gus from Psych. If you’re tired of increasingly cynical and obviously corporate Hollywood flicks, tired of the gritty “real world” obsession that makes movies feel more indulgent than mature, and tired of movies that seem bereft of any levity at all - levity not as in jokes, but rather style - then RRR is the movie for you. 

It’s unbelievably fun and full of over-the-top genre madness akin to Aquaman, a cheesy charm that reminds me of 2002’s Spider-Man, choreography that’s as fantastically fast as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and a refreshing refusal to sugarcoat the tale or undercut the brutality of its protagonists. If this is Tollywood's answer to Hollywood's increasing focus on nostalgia, overtly corporate sequels, and surplus of uninspired content, well... Hollywood should be afraid. Very afraid. 

Overall, I give RRR a 9/10. "A valuable lesson in the importance of being earnest, RRR's gee-whiz optimism and feel-good charm ground an intentionally frenetic Tollywood flick." 

The global appeal of a man punching a tiger with fire. That's how you make a movie.