RRR (2022)

RRR has the subtlety of a tiger leaping out of a truck at a fancy party, which, legit, actually happens in it. The British officials are flat, sneering villains with nothing underneath, and the flashback that opens the second half stalls the engine right when you want it roaring. S. S. Rajamouli imagines two real Indian revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, as best friends who don’t know they’re on opposite sides, and Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. sell that bond with total sincerity. Their first meeting, a rope-swing rescue of a boy beneath a burning bridge, is pure joy. Naatu Naatu, a dance battle at a colonial party, is the most fun anyone has had on screen in years. It runs 187 minutes and mostly flies. It made $166.6 million worldwide. A 9.1 because it’s huge, sincere and thrilling, and the fight for freedom gives the spectacle real weight. $288.97 says you try the Naatu Naatu footwork in your living room tonight and need to sit down in under a minute.

What works: Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr. have thrilling chemistry, and Rajamouli stages the action and the Naatu Naatu number with wild, joyful imagination.

What doesn’t: The British villains are one-note sadists with nothing beneath the sneer, and the long flashback in the second half stalls the momentum.

Who it’s for: Anyone who wants a big-hearted action epic about friendship and freedom, including people who swear they don’t watch three-hour movies.