Ram Charan and Rakul Preet Singh starrer "Bruce Lee - the Fighter" (BLTF) has got mixed reviews from critics, who have blamed director Srinu Vaitla for not selecting a good script.
"Bruce Lee - the Fighter" is an action entertainer with all the commercial ingredients. The movie is about the sentimental relationship between a brother and sister and revolves around the story of a stunt man (Ram Charan), who sacrifices his studies for the sake of his sister (Kriti Kharbanda). What happens when he lands in problem with Jayraj (Sampath) and his son (Arun Vijay) will form the crux of the story.
The critics say that Srinu Vaitla has chosen a routine and predictable story and tried to lace it with some masala elements. He has added too many twists, characters and songs to it. While he has managed to get excellent production values and brilliant performances from all the actors, he is missing out on his trade mark element – comedy.
The first half of "Bruce Lee - the Fighter" is engrossing, but the director has stumbled in the second half. During the promotion of the film, Srinu Vaitla had said that he had learnt from his mistakes in his previous venture "Aagadu", but he has committed the same blunders in his new film, say the critics.
The movie has been rated an average of 2.95 out of 5 stars. We bring to you some critics' verdict and ratings for the film below:
Ram Charan dances like a dream, as always, and shows marked improvement as an actor. But what he needs is a project that will not belittle the huge fan base in the garb of masala. Also, why those twisted dance moves in every song? In the latter half, when you have almost given up on the film, there are far too many songs. The moment you spot the heroine, you shudder expecting another song. At the end of all this, there's solace in the form of a superb cameo by Chiranjeevi. The charisma is intact and he steals the show.
The story by Srinu Vaitla is not new or exceptional. The movie gets trying to watch at times because the twists and turns are a little too many. The number of characters in the movie are also too many to keep track of. Some of them just come for a scene or two and don't make any impact. In terms of running time, the movie can be trimmed down as some scenes are a little long-drawn especially in the second half.
First half of the film is smooth with plot thickening as interval approaches. Second half deals with hero proving certain things in order to save his family. One tend to expect hilarious entertainment when you see character of Brahmanandam, but Seenu Vaitla concentrated on family emotions this time. Plus points are family story line, Charan's performance, Chiranjeevi's special appearance, music, dances and cinematography. On the flipside, a better entertainment in second half would have taken movie to the next level. On a whole, Bruce Lee is a family oriented film which has all ingredients for a box office success with Ram Charan dishing out an all-round performance!
The songs are catchy and the choreography is very nice. Vaitla's dialogues are punchy. But on the whole, Bruce Lee, which is supposed to be a family entertainer, is a lacklustre action- drama. Srinu Vaitla seems to have lost touch and loses the plot in the middle. Even Chiranjeevi's cameo can't save him.
Srinu Vaitla chose 'brother-sister sentiment' for this family entertainer that is laced with comedy and action. The director should have at least used his forte 'comedy' to make this an entertaining fare. Sadly Srinu Vaitla couldn't live up to what he is known for. In fact there are so many comedians and there is an attempt to make us laugh but it hardly clicked.
In all his interviews, director Sreenu Vaitla claimed that he learnt from his past mistakes and that he has made a story driven movie with Bruce Lee. The movie proves all the talk is just publicity as he hasn't changed his style much though there is less comedy. Indeed, lack of entertainment is a sore point of this movie. Once again, he has selected a flimsy and predictable story. But he made the first half in decent way. The story is as old as the movie industry.
Bruce Lee is a decent family entertainer. Ram Charan's mature performance, stunning songs and racy first half are solid assets. If you manage to sit through the average second half, you are surely going to love mega star's entry at the end and come out with a smile on your face.
It's a comedy entertainer where family, the heroine and even violence takes a backseat. Charan has a refreshing role. Much as it is formulaic, the film fares well for its solid technical elements, good dialogue, and breezy narration.
