After a few missteps, Vijay Deverakonda drops the “The” in front of his name in hopes of delivering a hit centered around a much more reigned-in performance. Although it starts a bit unsteadily with a prologue that doesn’t add much to the narrative and a disappointing AI-generated title sequence, Kingdom gets its confidence once it picks up the main plotline to tell a savior story in line with SS Rajamouli’s Chatrapathi and last year’s Devara.
From Jersey director Gowtham Tinnanuri, Kingdom tells the story of an undercover cop who is sent into a criminal organization in hopes of finding his brother. What he gets is a tribe of outsiders looking for a leader and a prophecy nearly a century in the making.
Vijay Deverakonda is more subdued in this role, and that works mostly to his benefit. The script gives ample room for Stayadev and Venkitesh VP to take center stage, and they both do a great job in their respective roles.
Kingdom is at its best when it is building out its world and fleshing out character backstories. The film features great cinematography with some striking visuals. Anirudh’s score doesn’t step up until the second half, where it accentuates the frames nicely.
I just wish it had opted for a more significant runtime to do it further. As it is, the story bounces around a lot, leading to a second half that attempts to both wrap up the main villain’s arc and establish enough energy to tease a sequel. To Kingdom‘s credit, unlike HHVR from last week, it doesn’t leave the face-off between hero and villain for a follow-up movie that might never happen.
+ GOOD +
- Striking cinematography
- Powerful main theme
- Fun action sequences
- Deverakonda’s subdued performance
- Climactic revelations
– BAD –
- Unnecessary prologue
- AI Animations
- Yet another sequel tease