'Lion' Review Roundup: Balakrishna Starrer Gets Mixed Verdict, Good Ratings from Critics

Nandamuri Balakrishna's latest outing "Lion", which has been directed by debutante Satyadeva, has received mixed reviews and good ratings from critics.

"Lion" is an interesting story with some twists and turns to keep the audience glued to their sets till the end. The movie is about Bose (Balakrishna), who regains consciousness after remaining in coma for about 18 months. People mistake him for Godse; how he convinces them that he is not Godse forms the crux of the film.

Critics feel that "Lion" has a good concept, but Satyadeva has failed to execute the same on screen. The debutante director has blended all the commercial elements to make it a mass entertainer. The suspense element keeps the audience engaged in the first half of the film, while Balayya's typical action is a big highlight in the second half, say critics.

Balakrishna's performance is the biggest asset of "Lion". The background score, picturisation, punch dialogues, action, romantic and comedy sequences are other highlights, opine critics. The movie has been rated an average of 2.6 out of 5. Below, we bring you critics' verdict. Continue to read "Lion" review roundup:

India Glitz Ratings: 3

An action entertainer for lovers of conventional cinema with mass elements thrown in. It is intense and given that there are no films to give "Lion" a competition in its habitat, expect a windfall.

123 Telugu Ratings: 3

"Lion" is a complete Balakrishna film right from the word go. His power packed performance is the major asset and will go down well with the masses. On the flip side, lack of proper handling of the subject and a predictable second half makes this film just an ok watch. Watch it only for Balayya.

Gulte Ratings: 3

Like many Telugu commercial films, this movie too has its share of flaws as newcomer filmmaker fail to fill all the loopholes in the script. Few logics fall flat. But the end result is better than Balayya's previous films. Pre-climax portions could have been handled well. Climax is decent and satiates the hopes of fans. On whole, "Lion" makes for one-time watch and it's perfect potbolier tailor-made for fans.

AP Today Ratings: 2.5

"Lion" has its moments but a few glitches in narration effected the prospects to some extent. Balakrishna, Songs, Fights and Confrontation scenes between Hero & Villains are pretty good. After an impressive Interval Bang, The film gets predictable throughout the Second Half and mostly relies on action & songs in this part. One gets the feeling a Star Director like Vinayak & Boyapati could have done a better justice to a potential script like 'Lion'.

AP Herald Ratings: 1.5

"Lion" is poor in content, visual and music made very much like an amateurish product. Natasimha Balakrishna has clearly blundered in giving away the responsibility of directing a mass entertainer to director Satyadeva who doesn't seem to exscind for the task. Lion has its fanzy moments, but you get the feeling that the Telugu audience have been taken for granted by the makers here. It is hard not to be thwarted by this one!