Race 2 is stylish, superbly shot and packaged but if you look under the hood, that’s where the disappointment lies. While it tries to be as fiery and racy as the original, at the end of the day it just doesn’t offer the same kind of mileage for the time you spend in the hall (and you spend a good 2 hours 20 minutes)
There were a few clear reasons why the original Race stood out and was the surprise hit that it turned out. It had unpredictable characters, devilish plot twists and a sense of suspense where you quite don’t know what to expect next. Yes, it was also stylishly packaged and made on an extravagant budget. Unfortunately, it is only this last part that the sequel really concentrates on and therein lies the folly. Sure, it has the same flavor of twists and turns but this time you really can’t smell the rubber when the tires screech at a supposedly sudden bend in the road
The other faux pas of this movie which is really its undoing in my view is its scenes being ‘inspired’ from too many popular Hollywood movies (I could count Casino Royale, Mask of Zorro and a painfully obvious rip off from National Treasure, am sure there were more..). What’s worse is that none of these scenes were really required and had the script been a little tighter and far more original (as was the case with its predecessor) this one could have stood its own too. Suffice it to say, that as soon as you begin to give the movie some credit..bang there goes another rather familiar scene ‘inspired’ from a Hollywood movie
Its not all bad though. Race 2 gets a stylish and snazzy packaging you would seldom find in a Bollywood movie. No expense seems to be spared and as is the case with the theme of the movie – money seems to have simply flown like water to get the shots right. Some special effects disappoint but sharp editing and brilliant cinematography and camerawork give a velvety sheen to the movie. Its a pity that the plot is lacklustre.
Though packed with plenty of stars none of them really make a lasting impact. Saif lacks the fresh look his character had in the original and John’s wooden performance fails to lift his character. Female leads don’t really have much of a role in this movie though on a relative basis Deepika is clearly the better actress. The tiresome Mini (secretary to RD) is replaced with an even more tiresome Cherry (I didn’t think that was possible..clearly I was proved wrong) and she and Anil Kapoor share some of the most cringe worthy dialogues you could imagine.
As we approach the finish line, the verdict is this - the original Race was pacy and thrilling. By spending more time on the design of the car than its performance on the road Race 2 clearly falls behind
It's a nice & good movie. If u liked Race, u will like Race 2. Not boring. Saif is superb. it was faaaaadddd..
ReplyDeleteExactly.
ReplyDeleteNot at all a worthy successor. But isn't that the case with the most of the sequels in Bollywood. :P