Kingdom

"Kingdom" (2025) is a film that ultimately struggles to captivate, despite a truly terrific and excellent performance from Vijay Deverakonda. While Deverakonda delivers on his promise of a strong portrayal, the film's narrative execution, particularly in its storytelling and screenplay, falls significantly short of making it an engaging cinematic experience.

Vijay Deverakonda is undoubtedly the film's greatest asset. He carries the movie with his intense screen presence and delivers a compelling performance that stands out. His dedication to the role is evident, and he proves his capabilities even when the material around him falters.

However, the core narrative of "Kingdom" feels underdeveloped and lacks a cohesive flow. The storytelling struggles to maintain momentum, making it difficult for the audience to stay invested in the plot. The screenplay appears to be one of the film's major weaknesses, preventing the story from unfolding in a consistently engaging manner. This leads to parts of the film feeling rather average and failing to capture the viewer's full attention.

While the film may boast impressive visuals or a strong background score (as per other reviews), these elements are ultimately overshadowed by the uninspired plot and its execution. The lack of a gripping narrative arc means that even the high points don't land with the impact they should.

Overall, "Kingdom" (2025) is a film that might appeal to fans of Vijay Deverakonda, who delivers a noteworthy performance. However, its weak story narration and unengaging screenplay prevent it from being a truly satisfying or memorable cinematic outing.

This movie begins on a promising note, as if another director from Andhra Pradesh were about to conjure the magic of Baahubali through the well-worn trope of reincarnation. But halfway through, the promise caves in. The movie slumps so badly in the last fifteen minutes that a narrator's voice-over is introduced to keep the movie from falling apart at the seams. Unfortunately, the Telugu industry's fascination with sequels is partly to blame: the second half feels less like a story than a prologue to a sequel that will never see the light of day after the cold reception of this movie. Another chink in the armour is its depiction of female characters. A noticeable pattern in successful Telugu movies is that women are written as powerful presences. However, this movie is fixated on masculinity, articulated through male violence -- which itself lacks grace and panache. To crown all, the movie lacks a decent musical score. Without one, it should give up its dream to become a saleable commodity in the Telugu industry.

Anirudh Ravichandran's initial impression of "Kingdom," stating that the first 40 minutes looked great, holds true; however, had he seen the entire film, his statement might have been different. The movie felt disjointed, as if two different screenwriters worked on the first and second halves. The opening act effectively established a proper spy thriller atmosphere, building tension and intrigue. Unfortunately, the latter half abruptly shifted into a generic "saviour temple" narrative without a cohesive blend, losing the focus and tension that made the initial spy phase so engaging.

The film missed several crucial opportunities to elevate its narrative. Firstly, the villain and their motivations remained underdeveloped, leaving it unclear whether their actions stemmed from regional discrimination or simply a problematic psyche. This lack of depth prevented the audience from building any genuine hatred or understanding towards them. Secondly, the emotional stakes felt low, particularly before the pivotal revolt scene, which needed more emotional groundwork. Furthermore, the relationship between the hero and heroine, as well as the bond between the hero and his brother's Family, lacked sufficient development, diminishing their impact on the story.

Finally, the movie's approach to setting up a sequel felt heavy-handed. Instead of a background voice explicitly detailing future events, a more visual display would have been preferable, allowing the audience to interpret and discuss possibilities. This approach would leave room for reviewers to analyze and break down potential plotlines, fostering a more engaging post-viewing experience. Additionally, certain scenes felt abruptly cut, and the "AI shots" in the second half were noticeably strange, further detracting from the overall cinematic flow.

The basic plot and the core characters do have potential, and the first half manages to hold mild interest. But from the get-go, the storytelling feels a bit patchy, and by the time the second half arrives, the film begins to lose steam completely. Many scenes feel flat, emotions don't land as intended, and the narrative never really builds momentum. The climax is just about okay-neither satisfying nor disappointing, just safely passable.

Vijay Devarakonda is a talented actor who has delivered few brilliant performances in the past and a few that fell short but this stands out to be his weakest performance to date.

Satya Dev also brings a grounded intensity to his role.

Bhagyashree looks fine, but her acting doesn't rise above average-it might be time she explores more glamorous roles that play to her strengths.

The rest of the cast are serviceable and do their job without any major highs or lows.

On the brighter side, the technical departments shine. The production values are impressive-locations are picturesque, sets and props are tastefully designed, and the costumes and makeup are neatly done. The cinematography is rich and adds visual appeal, while the background score enhances a few key moments, though it doesn't stay memorable. Two of the fight sequences stand out with slick choreography and decent buildup-they offer some of the film's rare bursts of energy.

The direction doesn't falter entirely, but it doesn't elevate the film either. With a sharper script and more emotional depth, this could have been a far more engaging watch. As it stands, it's a film that plays it safe and ends up being just about tolerable. Not a must-watch by any means, but if the trailers caught your eye or you're a loyal Vijay Devarakonda fan, it might just pass the time.

Storyline pace is good but not very engaging still watchable.

Vijay worked very hard to fit in its character,his work shows his hard work and dedication.

Character building of all characters where good overall. Only some characters are poorly presented.

Only Anirudh's BGM can't do Magic, you have to work hard to fit in it.

• No Song that's the Good Part.

Story is good but I as an audience have watched many movies like this one, wanted more action, thrill and entertainment.

I was not expecting much from this film.

I will not say any other movie references for this film ya somewhere you'll feel once But it's okay because the movies genres are going through that tunnel of old school stuff with new shoes.

Action scenes were okay okay but Raw.

Storyline is Good but don't see that much effort to make an impact that character really matters, I personally don't felt connected.

Overall a good watch. Good one by Vijay after many years. Wink.