Sanchita
Animal Movie Review; Ranbir Kapoor Gives Career-Best Performance!
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Tripti Dimri
Runtime: 3h 21m
Storyline:
Business tycoon Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor) has created a glorious empire but the relationship he shares with his heir, his son Ranvijay Singh (Ranbir Kapoor) is a strained one.
Despite having been an absent father all his life, the devotion Balbir’s son has for him is manic and unparalleled. When Balbir is attacked, his son is utterly consumed by his obsession for revenge and justice. The carnage he unleashes in his wake is fearsome.
So much so that his unhinged behaviour starts fracturing his relationship with his wife Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna). Ranvijay’s opponent Abrar Haque (Bobby Deol) is equally formidable and beastly. Which Animal will come out on top?
Watch Animal to see the madness unfold.
Animal Movie Review:
Animal is a larger-than-life, adrenaline-charged spectacle where the action, driven by an amazing soundtrack, unleashes a raw, wild intensity that sets the screen on fire. Ranbir Kapoor delivers the best performance of his career!
If you thought Kabir Singh was problematic, Animal is Kabir Singh on steroids and drugs. Sandeep Reddy Vanga has gone all-out with the toxicity this time. It’s all about the male rage, Alphas, guns and glory. But keep in mind, before judging his character as good or bad – that Ranbir Kapoor’s Ranvijay is simply the protagonist. It’s going to be one hell of a polarising film for sure.
Animal is a thoroughly entertaining ride from start-to-finish; high on energy and gratuitous violence. Sandeep is unapologetic in the gruesome, ferocious blood bath. The massy action spectacle is meant to be viewed on the big screen only.
Animal Movie Review:
The energy is electrifying and infectious; elevated by the excellent background score. Ranbir Kapoor has completely surrendered to the toxic character and gives a top-notch performance. His expressive eyes really help sell the unhinged mania of this role. His physical transformation is drool-worthy and commendable. He excels in the action scenes and keeps the drama quotient high with utter conviction.
“I did it for Papa” – is the constant refrain for his character’s problematic behaviour. If you thought Alia’s Shiva was annoying, Ranbir’s Papa chant will give her a run for her money.
The central conflict of the film hinges entirely upon Anil Kapoor-Ranbir Kapoor’s troubled father-son relationship. Anil is perfect in his nonchalance, disappointment and apathy for his son. RK’s character’s devotion to his father is fascinating and his need for validation feels almost Oedipal.
Animal Movie Review:
Of course, that later leads to some super baffling, ludicrous behaviour. There’s a strange contradiction in his values – on one hand, Ranvijay sneers at his wife for wearing lingerie, bitches about her pad. On the other, he’s the one single-handedly nursing her through pregnancy and even encouraging his sisters to leave their trashy husbands and be independent.
Basically, it’s all very Macho Macho-Alpha Male-Provider-Utter Toxicity land in Animal. An Incel’s Wet Dream. Fear not though, Rashmika Mandanna’s character does not suffer from the meekness that Kabir’s Preeti did. She gives as good as she gets later on. In one powerful confrontation scene with Ranbir, Rashmika unleashes her female rage.
Rashmika is slightly incomprehensible at moments, but the much-trolled ‘teeth baring’ scene works for the high-emotion moment there. She doesn’t get quite as much ‘secondary’ treatment as Preeti and has her own agency in the movie, even if the circumstances don’t work in her favour.
Animal Movie Review:
The 1st half is thrilling and jam-packed without a moment’s boredom. But the 2nd half starts to meander a little. Unfortunately, Bobby Deol arrives in the game way too late and gets the short end of the stick. The trailer may have oversold his presence.
Inspite of the limited screen time, Bobby holds his own and makes a powerful impact with his menacing aura. Bobby-Ranbir’s twisted dynamic does manage to hold your interest but their ending hand-to-hand combat scene feels a little stretched.
The last act will truly try your patience. Animal’s lengthy duration also could have easily been trimmed by half an hour. Tripti Dimri makes a brief appearance in the film’s Act 3. While the actress is gorgeous and captivating, her arc feels forcefully inserted, under-developed, hurried and frankly unnecessary. She has acted immensely well though, making the character expressive with the meagre material that she gets to work with. Her chemistry with RK’s character is solid.
Hit Or Miss:
This will definitely be a polarizing film for sure. But it is worth watching on the big screen for the explosive carnage and Ranbir in his no-holds-barred, beast mode. He has acted the hell out of this action extravaganza!
(Also Read: Ranbir Kapoor Animal Fee; He Slashed It By 50 Percent?)
