Review: Game Changer - Plain but Appealing

 

Movie: Game Changer
Rating:2.75/5

Cast: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, SJ Suryah, Anjali, Srikanth, Samuthirajami, Jayaram, Sunil, Rajeev Kanakala and Others

Director: S Shankar 

Produced By: Sri Venkateswara Creations

Release Date: January 10, 2025

Story:

Ram Nandan (Ram Charan) is an angry young man who becomes an IAS Officer. He does not succumb to political or power pressures and does his duty sincerely. The story delves into his connection with Deepika (Kiara Advani), his enmity with Bobbili Mopidevi (SJ Suryah), and what his past has to do with Bobbili Satyamoorthy (Srikanth) and Appanna (Ram Charan again).

Performances: 

Ram Charan performs well in both the characters, Ram Nandan and Appanna, with the latter being the standout character and performance. He also impresses in the confrontation scenes with SJ Suryah. SJ Suryah once again plays the regular baddie, but he still makes it work with his acting. Srikanth and Anjali made their presence felt, while Kiara Advani did not have much scope to perform except to look like eye candy. Samuthirakani, Rajeev Kanakala, Sunil, Jayaram, and others were okay.

What worked for the film:

Shankar, the director who is known to be the master of mixing grand presentation and a message-oriented theme, follows a standard Telugu mass commercial style for Game Changer. He sets up a conventional love story and conflict scenes for Hero and Villain. He was able to show his mark with an effective interval twist, the backstory of Appanna, and the drama around his backstabbing scenes. Also, he was successful in handling the one-on-one game between Ram Nandan and Mopidevi. 

What did not work for the film:

Though predictable, the film's plot has the required depth to provide an emotional impact. However, Shankar somehow treats the crucial scenes, which could have taken the emotions to the next level very ordinarily. After the flashback, the game between Ram Nandan and Mopidevi starts well, but it gets carried out and drags on. The love track between the lead pair sounds like a tried and tested one for the ages. Also, the mother sentiment sequence at the pre-climax could have been handled more properly.

Game Changer Review and Verdict:

Ram Charan shines in this standard commercial entertainer set in a grand setup and SJ Suryah too gives a perfect output. The storyline is straightforward, but Shankar aimed to create an exciting experience by putting necessary drama and moments of heroism. The first half of the film is quite engaging and the well-executed flashback in the second half too works perfectly, but the ending portions could have been better.