THE GOAT – MOVIE REVIEW
he Greatest of All Time (also marketed as GOAT) is an action film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by AGS Entertainment. It is the twenty-fifth production of the studio and the penultimate film of Vijay before his political entry. After a lacklustre result with “LEO” despite all the hype, Vijay’s GOAT did not make much noise before its release.
The film attempts to start off strong with a somewhat impressive action sequence—until you realize it’s been dragging on for so long you could’ve grabbed a snack and come back just in time for the next explosion. It’s like they thought, “Why give you a plot when we can just throw a chaotic circus of stunts at you?” And if you came expecting a full-on action blockbuster, congratulations—you’ve just signed up for disappointment. This spy genre film couldn’t find ‘intelligence’ if you handed it a GPS and a map.
The story? Well, calling it sensible would be an insult to logic itself. It’s as if they found an old father-son revenge script from the archives of a ’90s soap opera, slapped some shiny effects on it, and hoped no one would notice it’s as stale as month old pongal. That polished, slick production? Just window dressing for the same age-old masala formula, complete with emotional drama that feels about as fresh as a re-telecast 90’s serial. And the acting? Subtlety? Never heard of it. Somehow, the first half manages to stumble its way through without falling completely apart. But brace yourself for the second half, because this movie nosedives so fast, by the time the climax rolls around, it’s less of a grand finale and more of a slow-motion train wreck. And then, just when one thought it can’t get worse, they throw in a cricket stadium and some half-baked CSK fanfare that lands with all the excitement of a wet sponge. The film limps towards an ending so drawn out that one starts looking for the car keys even before the end credits.
VP really dropped the ball on adding intensity to the father-son drama—what could’ve been gripping turns into a lukewarm squabble. The writing? Weaker than a phone number written on a paper tissue. The narration? A snoozefest, if it means being generous. And the twists? Oh, don’t worry, they’re coming flashing like a neon sign from ten miles away. If you didn’t see these “surprises” coming, one must be sleeping, eyes tightly closed. Well, the movie is 180 minutes long, you cant blame anyone who did.
Vijay, as always, nails his dancing like it’s the sole purpose of his existence in a film. Forget acting, plot, or character development—if there’s a rhythm, Vijay’s on it, and honestly, that’s probably what his fans came for anyway. The rest of his performance? Well, let’s just say his fans will love it because, surprise, nothing has changed. If you’re not a die-hard Vijay devotee, you might be left wondering if you’ve accidentally stumbled into a rerun of his last ten movies.
Prabhu Deva, though—what an odd casting choice. The man feels so out of place you half-expect him to break into an impromptu dance just to remind everyone why he’s really here. Meanwhile, Prashanth seems to have taken “boring” to new levels of mastery, almost as if his character’s sole mission is to make Vijay look even more interesting by comparison.
Jayaram brings a touch of seriousness to the proceedings, though one gets the sense he’s trying to keep a straight face while the rest of the movie spirals into chaos around him. Sneha? She’s neat—no notes. She shows up, does her part, and leaves without adding or subtracting much from the situation.
And then we have Meenakshi Chaudhary, whose character appears to be less of a person and more of an accessory for Vijay to parade around. If there’s any depth to her role, it’s buried somewhere beneath all the eyelash-batting and smiling. As for Yogi Babu? Come on, what were you expecting? The man’s doing what he always does—comedy relief that may or may not relieve anyone, but hey, it’s a familiar face.
Siddhartha Nuni’s cinematography does its job well enough, He captures the visuals effectively, in a film like this, he makes the madness look good. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s background score, on the other hand, is about as consistent as a Wi-Fi connection in a basement. One moment, it’s lifting scenes, the next, it’s dragging them down with all the enthusiasm of a tired DJ at the end of a wedding. And the songs? Below average would be a compliment.As for Venkat Rajen’s editing, one has to wonder if he was fully conscious while cutting this thing together. Scenes drag on like an overstayed party guest, while others are stitched together so awkwardly it feels like watching a puzzle with missing pieces. The dialogues? If you’re hoping for wit or humour, brace yourself for disappointment. They’re average at best, and the rare attempt at humour will barely coax a chuckle. And then there’s Venkat Prabhu’s direction—substandard would be putting it kindly. It feels like he set the film on autopilot, threw in a bunch of old tropes, and hoped it would all somehow work out. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
G.O.A.T, it should have ended right at the first full stop !
G,O.A.T – KOSURU !
1.75/5
B.U.Shreesha