May 27th: RRR

Honestly, if you told me this was in the MCU, I would believe you.

RRR

Released: 2022

Directed by: S.S. Rajamouli

Starring: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody

What kind of movie do you like? Buddy-action? Got it. Adorable meet-cutes and romantic comedy? Got it. Superhero-style heroic feats? Definitely got that too. Musical numbers that feel like they could be on Broadway? Also here. Extreme emotional expression you might find in anime? Surprisingly, yes. Pro-wrestling moves in a battle against an oppressive colonial system, complete with tigers, leopards, wolves, and chaos unfolding at mythic scale? Very specific — but yes, it’s got that too. If any of those things speak to you, RRR might be the movie for you.

It is going to be very difficult to contain the story of this film in a paragraph, but I will try. Bheem comes to Delhi to find a young girl who was taken from his village by the British governor and his wife. Ram is an ambitious police officer working for the British government in India, tasked with finding him. The two unknowingly meet when they work together to rescue a boy from a train crash, and they quickly become fast friends. They bond, fight alongside each other, and even humiliate a group of racist British aristocrats in a dance-off. But everything changes when Bheem is finally close to rescuing the girl: Ram arrests him. Ordered to publicly flog Bheem in a brutal display meant to enforce British authority, Ram instead breaks from his role, revealing where his true loyalties lie. The moment becomes a turning point for both men, exposing not only the cruelty of the British system but also the strength and conviction of people like Bheem. Ram helps Bheem escape execution, and months later Bheem returns the favor. Together, they ultimately overthrow the governor and an entire battalion of British soldiers in the most epic way possible.

N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan play Bheem and Ram respectively. They are so charismatic that it truly works for them to carry a movie that has EVERYTHING. There are so many epic scenes. Ram’s introductory scene is taking on a riot of thousands of angry people BY HIMSELF to find a guy who threw a rock at the picture of King George V. Bheem’s introductory scene is being chased by a tiger and a wolf AND surviving. They fight, dance, sing, and bromance their way through the entire epic film that is mythic storytelling at its best.

Small Observations:

• Shoutout to the late great Ray Stevenson and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’s Alison Doody, who play the odious governor and his wife. They represent the dark attitudes of the British Raj. Stevenson is especially great in this.
• The dance-off scene to the song “Naatu Naatu” is an example of the great musical numbers. What is interesting in this movie is that the epic action scenes also play like musical numbers. They exist in a kind of super-reality where guys can punch tigers and catch motorcycles, just like in musical numbers where everyone knows the songs and the dances. It is an expressive reality rather than a portrayal of realism.
• One might think that the pacing and cohesion of a movie with so much happening would fall off at some point. Nope. It all fits so well. There are no slowdowns, and all the different genres being played with work within the context of the film.
• MCU actors: 1 — I miss Ray Stevenson

Overall Rank: S

This movie truly has EVERYTHING. From over-the-top action scenes to wild dance sequences to romance between beautiful people, it is ridiculous in the absolute best way possible. Strongly recommended.