I have to try and review this without comparing it to anything directly, because it's not really comparable to other action blockbusters that have disappointed me recently. But I can say that for large-scale, big-budget action movies, this is how you do it right. Hollywood isn't incapable of making movies that deliver excitement and emotion, but many pale in comparison to RRR. Again without pointing out any movies in particular (because I don't know what's directly comparable), Hollywood should take notes.
RRR has many familiar tropes and beats that you get out of historical epics/action movies, but it uses those tropes well. Things we've seen on-screen dozens of times before can still be exciting and entertaining if they're used properly, and RRR is a testament to that.
The amazing action is probably what stands out the most, but at its core, this film also has a really good story with heroes you want to see win and villains you want to see defeated. There's some extra conflict between the two main heroes for much of the movie, but ultimately it's a good vs evil story that's pretty straightforward and honest about that, and thanks to the great characters and strong performances, that ends up being enough.
There's very little by way of slow scenes or dead air, and another reason the three hour runtime flies by is because the action is so good. I complain about lacklustre action in modern action movies a lot, and so I was really happy to find that RRR does its action so well. Amazing stunts, great setups for the big set piece scenes, a level of brutality that makes you feel the impact of the combat (but not too much that it feels gratuitous), and a way of making things over-the-top in the best way possible (so not to the point where it feels like there are no rules or consequences for the good guys). The two main heroes in this are almost superheroes, which arguably makes RRR the best superhero film in years.
Excellent stuff. A couple of lesser performances from minor characters and some occasionally clunky English dialogue from the British characters is all I could criticise it for, and they're nitpicks. This is a great action movie and an epic that more than warrants its three hour runtime.
