The modern era is well past the mythical age of heroes, those days of yore where powerful, exemplary people supposedly achieved great accomplishments against all odds. Heroes like Gilgamesh, Arjuna, Odysseus, and Beowulf are among the oldest protagonists in literature, winning wars, slaying demons and monsters, and exhibiting powerful abilities. They have no true counterparts in today's world, except for the purely fictional variety found in literature, comics, film, and video games. It's this larger context that makes Devara: Part 1, the first part of a new epic from Koratala Siva, so much more interesting than a standard action epic. It's a film full of powerful characters and great deeds, but it's set in a more modern, post-mythological era where characters have to find meaning with their best era behind them. There are action spectacles, yes, but the film is just as much about the power of myth and the relation of sons to the legacy of their fathers. Immediately designed to be merely the first part of the Devara project, it's necessarily an incomplete story as a standalone film. That comes with a little baggage (and has a few side effects), but as a whole, Devara: Part 1 is a bold and engaging tale marked with a pair of excellent performances by starN.T. Rama Rao, Jr., alongside a bold antagonist outing from Saif Ali Khan.
What is 'Devara: Part 1' About?
Devara takes place around an area called the Red Sea, where four villages with long histories of heroic warriors (think the stuff of epic poetry) have since been reduced to raiding and smuggling to make a living. Each year, the villages choose champions to compete in a combat tournament. The prize: the winning village gets to hold a cache of sacred weapons for a year, an honorific ritual that's persisted over their long history. Enter Devara (N.T. Rama Rao, Jr.), the greatest warrior among them, but one increasingly disaffected by the high seas criminality the villages have been reduced to. This puts him increasingly at odds with Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan), another village's most powerful raider and champion, until one tense day makes Devara proclaim that the raiding will stop, and anyone caught raiding will be met with his stern, swift justice. This sets up an inevitable confrontation that persists for a generation, spilling onto his son Vara (as an adult, also N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) who has to contend with his father's legacy, controversy and heroism.
'Devara: Part 1' is Bold, Breezy, and A Great Showcase for N.T. Rama Rao Jr.
Devara itself is divided into rough halves separated by an intermission, the first mostly focusing on Devara while the second follows his later legacy and his grown-up son. N.T. Rama Rao Jr. adeptly performs both roles, landing both the former's power and longing for better and the son's evident sheepishness covering latent potential. His layered performance provides two characters that have a genuinely distinct feel, backed by clever alterations in hair and costume, showing the actor's range. Saif Ali Khan is also excellent as Bhaira, showcasing well the kind of obsessive disdain that almost exclusively comes when allies turn enemies. Supporting players also fare well here, including Janhvi Kapoor showing strong comedic delivery and sultry vibes as Vara's potential love interest Thangam.
There are strong set pieces throughout the film, from energetic, large-group dance numbers to varied action sequences. The first half alone boasts a thrilling heist, engaging ritual combat, and a beach sequence that's well paced choreographed, and full of strong imagery. Koratala Siva and cinematographer R. Rathnavelu have a strong command of the image, and it's full of visually engaging moments and inspired composition. The biggest issue with the film is that it isn't even between the two halves. The first era of the story has solid narrative development and excellently conceived and executed set-ups and payoffs. While the back half does have some very strong images and concepts, it's clear that the first half is better developed and a little more satisfactory overall regarding the action, scenes, and dramatic resolution. The film as a whole ends with a strong reveal that adds a lot of heft to the narrative and the film's themes, but it's thrown at the audience extremely abruptly to build excitement for a follow-up feature. There are good ideas and narrative evolutions at the film concludes, but it's clear that rhetorical (and perhaps literal) punches were pulled to leave room for a future film, stopping the film short of meeting its potential.
Devara: Part 1 is a bold, entertaining film full of high action, well-conceived scenes, and fun dance numbers. It capably balances larger-than-life heroes doing Very Big Things and a serious engagement with issues of legacy and myth that audiences don't normally get in a film like this. N.T. Rama Rao Jr. already showed his skill with dance and high-octane action in RRR, but Devara's unique set-up allows him to exhibit a new level of range, and he handles it well. It doesn't land its two halves in equal measure, unfortunately. The back half sports a nice (though abrupt) reveal at the end and some stunning visuals, but set-ups are simply better paid off in the film's first half. It's still full of strong moments, but they don't cohere as well into a satisfying whole.
'Devara: Part 1' is a Stunning but Uneven Action Spectacle
Devara: Part 1 is a strong, if incomplete, cinematic outing. It's bold, colorful, engaging, and well-paced, with vibrant dance numbers and memorable action sequences. N.T. Rama Rao Jr. breathes life into both roles well, and it finds surprising success in making the two characters feel sufficiently distinct and unique. Its biggest issue as a whole lies in the back half landing with less success in execution than the thrilling front half. There are great moments, yes, and a stunner of a final reveal that could lead to a wonderful next film. On the other hand, those plot-shifting reveals are handled abruptly and leave this film feeling a little short-changed as a standalone entry, while some action set-ups in the film's second half feel too similar to counterparts in the first, save for being less ambitious and memorable by comparison. As a whole, much of these unfavorable comparisons are due more to the strength of the earlier moments than any other factor, but it remains affected by unevenness that's easy to feel as the final credits roll. Nonetheless, it's a strong, adrenaline-pumping outing with unique thematic elements, and a wonderful showcase for its rising international star.
Devara: Part 1 is now playing in theaters in the U.S. Click below for showtimes.
Get Tickets
Comments
Post a Comment