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Vikrama Simha
Cast: Rajanikanth , Deepika Padukone ,Nasser , Sobhana and others
Directed by : Soundarya R. Ashwin
Produced by : Eros International,
Banner :Media One Global Entertainment
Music by : AR Rahman
Release Date : 2014-05-23
Vikrama Simha Movie Review
Rajanikanth's ambitious daughter Soundarya directed the first motion capture film on Indian screen against all the odds. Did she deliver or not?
What is it about?Rana (Rajanikanth) is a brave soldier who does his best for his kingdom Kalingapuram. He takes his army to beat Kota Pattanam and interestingly turns against his own King (Jackie Shroff) and joins hands with Kota Pattanam king (Nasser). Rana is here to avenge his father Vikrama Simha's (Rajanikanth) death.
Technicalities:
Animation: Animation in this film is far from impressive. If you are a big fan of Hollywood animation films, this is a strict no no for its amateurish animation effects. Motion capture is not done to perfection. Rajanikanth's animated figure looked far from original. Vikrama Simha image was too bad compared to Rana, which was slightly better. It is brave step from the animators point of view to sketch all the characters with popular faces. The war sequences and dance and action episodes were done well.
Direction: Soundarya was handicapped with a weak story and screenplay written by KS Ravi Kumar. Real Rajanikanth could have saved the day for a mediocre script like this. But an animated Rajanikanth is as handicapped as his daughter who messed it up in narration. She has probably put all her efforts on the animation part and ignored story which is vital for any film.
Music: AR Rahman's background score is the best part of this film. There are far too many songs in the movie and Rahman couldn't come up with tunes that have repeat value.
Others: Dialogues are written keeping Rajani's image in mind. Dialogues mouthed by Vikrama Simha character are impressive. Cinematography and Production design are good. Editing is pretty bad. Story jumps from one scene to another without any link.
Thumbs Up:
Rahman's background score
Rajanikanth's Shiva Tandavam sequence
Introductory scenes
Thumbs Down:
Cliched story
Mediocre screenplay
Amateurish animation
Analysis: It would be unfair to compare this film with Avatar or some other big Hollywood film that has used Motion Capture technology. Vikrama Simha is only made with a fraction of budget that the Hollywood studios spend on this genre films. The makers of Vikrama Simha can be lauded for making a brave and never before attempt on Indian Screen. Sadly they won't get any props for any other aspect except for making an attempt.
Vikrama Simha is a classic case of bad storytelling and uninteresting narration. Though we don't expect world class animation effects in the film, we would certainly expect a compelling and an arresting story to make us sit through. Vikrama Simha failed big time in getting the script right. It is an age old revenge formula script set in historical backdrop. Thanks to motion capture… Rajanikanth at this age didn't have to toil hard for the film.
Die hard fans of Rajanikanth may feel content with the film especially if they watch this in Tamil. Rajani's magnetic voice itself will make them happy. But for others Vikrama Simha is a boring film with bad animation. There are some impressively done sequences here and there, but they are far apart and it will be a tedious affair to go through the rest of the movie.
Director Soundarya certainly has the zeal to do something different from the rest. She should have spent enough time on script before putting her directorial skills to test. Vikrama Simha is a brave attempt gone wrong on all levels. Watch it at your own risk.
Verdict:
Vikrama Simha - Animated Superstar fails to Roar!
What is it about?Rana (Rajanikanth) is a brave soldier who does his best for his kingdom Kalingapuram. He takes his army to beat Kota Pattanam and interestingly turns against his own King (Jackie Shroff) and joins hands with Kota Pattanam king (Nasser). Rana is here to avenge his father Vikrama Simha's (Rajanikanth) death.
Technicalities:
Animation: Animation in this film is far from impressive. If you are a big fan of Hollywood animation films, this is a strict no no for its amateurish animation effects. Motion capture is not done to perfection. Rajanikanth's animated figure looked far from original. Vikrama Simha image was too bad compared to Rana, which was slightly better. It is brave step from the animators point of view to sketch all the characters with popular faces. The war sequences and dance and action episodes were done well.
Direction: Soundarya was handicapped with a weak story and screenplay written by KS Ravi Kumar. Real Rajanikanth could have saved the day for a mediocre script like this. But an animated Rajanikanth is as handicapped as his daughter who messed it up in narration. She has probably put all her efforts on the animation part and ignored story which is vital for any film.
Music: AR Rahman's background score is the best part of this film. There are far too many songs in the movie and Rahman couldn't come up with tunes that have repeat value.
Others: Dialogues are written keeping Rajani's image in mind. Dialogues mouthed by Vikrama Simha character are impressive. Cinematography and Production design are good. Editing is pretty bad. Story jumps from one scene to another without any link.
Thumbs Up:
Rahman's background score
Rajanikanth's Shiva Tandavam sequence
Introductory scenes
Thumbs Down:
Cliched story
Mediocre screenplay
Amateurish animation
Analysis: It would be unfair to compare this film with Avatar or some other big Hollywood film that has used Motion Capture technology. Vikrama Simha is only made with a fraction of budget that the Hollywood studios spend on this genre films. The makers of Vikrama Simha can be lauded for making a brave and never before attempt on Indian Screen. Sadly they won't get any props for any other aspect except for making an attempt.
Vikrama Simha is a classic case of bad storytelling and uninteresting narration. Though we don't expect world class animation effects in the film, we would certainly expect a compelling and an arresting story to make us sit through. Vikrama Simha failed big time in getting the script right. It is an age old revenge formula script set in historical backdrop. Thanks to motion capture… Rajanikanth at this age didn't have to toil hard for the film.
Die hard fans of Rajanikanth may feel content with the film especially if they watch this in Tamil. Rajani's magnetic voice itself will make them happy. But for others Vikrama Simha is a boring film with bad animation. There are some impressively done sequences here and there, but they are far apart and it will be a tedious affair to go through the rest of the movie.
Director Soundarya certainly has the zeal to do something different from the rest. She should have spent enough time on script before putting her directorial skills to test. Vikrama Simha is a brave attempt gone wrong on all levels. Watch it at your own risk.
Verdict:
Vikrama Simha - Animated Superstar fails to Roar!
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