Weapon Tamil Movie Review – The South First

It seems like it's time for superheroes to rise and shine in Tamil cinema!

Although our mass masala heroes do everything a superhero can do and more, Tamil cinema has mostly shied away from the genre. Of course we had Batman-esque superheroes in the form of Guru (1980), Mugamoodi (2012), and Hero (2019), but the idea of ​​superpowers has not been explored enough.

Last year, Hip Hop Adhi harnessed electricity to Veeranand Sivakarthikeyan listened to a “voice” in Maaveeran.

This year, director Guhan Senniappan offers us Armed, a “superhuman saga” featuring a character almost “Saagavaram Petra“superhumans.

Synopsis

Armed begins interestingly with a story involving Adolf Hitler, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose, one Chezhiyan and a serum that makes super soldiers. Did someone say Captain America?

Nevertheless, the story ends by informing us that a particular super soldier continues to live among us, albeit in hiding. Is it just me, or did someone say X-Men?

Anyway, we're entering the not-so-interesting realm of Agni, a YouTuber who creates content about these superhumans among us. Now you would think the movie is about this YouTuber searching for this superhuman. But wait.

We also have a Illuminati-esque, who call themselves Black Society Division Nine. They're led by DK (Rajiv Menon has a blast), who's this megalomaniac who needs to get his hands on the super-soldier serum. They are also looking for this superhuman.

Now one might think Armed It's about how the superhuman defeats this secret society that serves no purpose at all times. But wait.

Another member of this Society sends a group of assassins to kill this superhuman with a kind of kryptonite in the form of a green poisonous gas.

Then there is another group of assassins who want to kill DK's daughter Avantika (Tanya Hope), who is also a major part of Agni's YouTube channel.

But wait. There is another group of assassins called Skull Squad. But wait. There is another infantryman who reluctantly wants to kill the superhuman. And then there's a masked man who acts as the audience's conscience, saying things like, “Get to the point.”

Also read: Sathyaraj and Rajinikanth to team up after 38 years

Where is Armed be mistaken

Now, individually, each of these plot points has the potential to be something. Armed could have been a gripping origin story if the focus had been on Sathyaraj's superhuman Mithran and not the assembly line of villains, and little exploration of eco-terrorism.

There's a wonderful story to be told about a lone superhuman who stays isolated because he doesn't want the extent of his powers to be misused.

What does he do when he is sad? What happens when loneliness becomes too overwhelming? Would he like to have someone to talk to? Imagine the possibilities!

But then the creators decide to incorporate so many plot points that Armed acts as a two-hour exposition on a movie that the directors probably want to make like Weapon 2.

Effective use of AI and VFX

Or Armed lies in its use of technology to tell some of these plot points.

The effective use of artificial intelligence (AI) to tell a flashback is an important flashpoint in the growing debate over the use of AI.

Even with the visual effects, a lot of effort was put into giving a sense of authenticity to the extravagant proceedings. The creators may not be top notch on this front, but they are very committed to it.

Ghibran's score lends a sense of urgency to the proceedings, even if the narrative doesn't always contribute to it.

But it's a bit disappointing Armed was not strong enough to remove songs that act not as brakes to speed but as those walls built to test a vehicle.

There is no doubt that Guhan deals Armed as an origin story, and has no intention of playing its cards close to its chest. He put everything on the table for everyone to see.

Now he has shown his potential strengths and could do better with the right set of cards. But he also exposed his weaknesses, and there is one too many.

Also read: Everything is fine between me and Rajinikanth, says Sathyaraj

Verdict

Sometimes, discretion is indeed a warrior's most powerful “weapon”!

(The opinions expressed here are personal.)