Kalki 2898 AD: A Disappointing Experience
Despite the anticipation, “Kalki 2898 AD” turns out to be a monumental disappointment, blatantly borrowing from iconic films like “Dune,” “Mad Max,” and “Star Wars.” Director Nag Ashwin admitted in a YouTube interview that he aimed to emulate these classics, a notion seemingly encouraged by his wife, resulting in a patience-testing movie.
Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone stand out as the only redeeming performers, while Prabhas, who intermittently appears for brief moments attempting humor, leaves audiences cringing rather than laughing. The film’s dialogues are practically nonexistent, and the few decent VFX shots are overshadowed by others that resemble low-budget television.
Kamal Haasan’s role is minimal and pointless, despite his hefty salary. The film is riddled with unnecessary characters and scenes that drag on with meaningless dialogue, making it barely tolerable even once. Promotional elements like the much-hyped car and cameos by RGV, Brahmanandam, and Rajamouli add no value. Prabhas’s assertion that this is his best role is laughable; it is undoubtedly his worst.
The soundtrack is forgettable, with even the end credits rolling in silence. The action scenes, save for the final battle, are reminiscent of outdated Telugu movies, lacking thrill and coherence. The screenplay is disjointed, and transitions between scenes are poorly handled. Overall, “Kalki 2898 AD” is a tedious, uninspired film that fails to deliver on any front.
Unoriginal and Dull Concept
“Kalki 2898 AD” fails to impress with its old and uninspired concept. The movie feels like a mishmash of scenes from well-known films like “Dune,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Blade Runner.” The story, plot, and character development seem to be heavily borrowed from “Dune,” making it lack originality.
Poor Performances
Except for Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, the performances in this movie are quite disappointing. Prabhas, who plays a dual role, struggles to deliver a convincing performance. His acting is so poor that he is now being compared to Tiger Shroff, known for his lack of expressions. Other actors and actresses also fail to leave a mark, resulting in a generally lackluster cast.
Clichéd and Forced Dialogues
The dialogues in “Kalki 2898 AD” are clichéd and feel forced. They fail to create an emotional connection with the audience, making the movie less engaging and more tedious to watch.
Unbearable When Prabhas is On Screen
The movie is somewhat bearable whenever Prabhas is not on the screen. His performance is so lackluster that it drags down the entire movie. The few moments of relief come when he is absent from the scene.
Copied World-Building and Boring Plot
The world-building in “Kalki 2898 AD” is heavily copied from “Dune” and fails to bring anything new or interesting to the table. The first half of the movie is boring, and the second half is even more tedious. The attempt at creating a dystopian world falls flat and does not captivate the audience.
Flat Comedy
The movie attempts to include comedy, but it falls flat and does not bring any real laughs. The humor feels out of place and does not add any value to the overall narrative.
“Kalki 2898 AD” is a disappointing movie with an unoriginal concept, poor performances, clichéd dialogues, and uninspired world-building. It fails to engage the audience and leaves much to be desired.