Review: The Greatest of All-Time - Good but not Great

 

Movie: The Greatest of All-Time
Rating: 2.75/5

Cast:  Vijay, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Sneha, Laila, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Ajmal Ameer, Mohan and Others

Director: Venkat Prabhu

Produced By: Kalpathi S. Aghoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh, Kalpathi S. Suresh

Release Date: September 5, 2024

Story:

Gandhi (Vijay) is an officer who works for SATS (Special Anti-Terrorist Squad) and hides his work field from his family. A dangerous operation involving Gandhi and his team results in the tragic loss of his five-year-old son, young Vijay. Years later, the son reappears as a teenager, making Gandhi happy. However, things take some unexpected turns after the reunion of father and son as the past wounds begin to haunt Gandhi. The rest of the story focuses on how Gandhi tackles the danger in his life and finishes his job.

Performances:

In the film GOAT, Vijay portrays two distinct characters: the older version of himself, which aligns with his present age, and a younger teenage version of Vijay, for which the team had taken the help of VFX technology. Though Vijay's young getup appears odd initially, it does not matter after the film progresses into action mode, and Vijay does a perfect job in both roles. Prashanth was good as an honest friend to the hero, while Prabhu Deva, Jayaram, Mohan, Premgi, and Vaibhav were apt. Sneha and Meenakshi Chaudhary were okay.

What worked for the film:

Known for his quirky entertainers and unique action films, Venkat Prabhu directs The GOAT with a big star like Vijay as the lead. Venkat Prabhu made the film with a beaten-to-death story, but he tried to put in as many commercial and grand elements as possible in a star-hero film. The opening sequence, a few fun moments, and the last half an hour in the first half work well and set a perfect stage for the game between the Hero and Villain in the second half. The second half also has good action episodes and a few effective emotional parts. Though the climax gets dragged, it serves the purpose.

What did not work for the film:

As said above, The GOAT's story is predictable, and the twists in the film could be better. For example, the pre-climax revelation of a crucial character should have been stunning. Though the scene had potential, the scene missed the effect on the screen. The film also has a few dragged episodes in the first and second half. Even after establishing the villain's cruelty, Venkat Prabhu repeatedly creates similar scenes that do not serve any purpose. In a few places, the VFX lacks quality, while the music score by Yuvan Shankar Raja also works against the film, except for the last song and a few scenes with impressive background scores.

The Greatest of All-Time Review and Verdict:

The Greatest of All Time is a decent action drama with a few flaws. The predictability factor and dragged moments in the latter half work against the film. Still, Vijay's performance, a few crucial moments, and a handful of engaging action episodes are the film's positives.