From writer-director S. S. Rajamouli, RRR takes place in British controlled India in the 1920s. When a young girl is abducted by a British aristocrat, her tribe's guardian, Bheem, sets out on a rescue mission. That's sure to put him into conflict with Indian officer Raju, who seeks to advance within the British military by capturing the folk hero rumor has it is coming to town. But with neither man knowing the other's true identity... what happens if they form a deep friendship first? And what will happen if either learns the other's secret?
RRR is essentially a superhero movie, and most keenly feels like it's India's answer to Captain America (the Cap who fights Nazis, rather than CG aliens). A man who basically has superpowers stands up to oppression in a noble struggle for freedom. But, you know, in a fun way.
And I cannot stress enough how fun RRR is. It soars so far over the top that it dazzles repeatedly. Just when you think the action has peaked, when things can't get any more outrageous, the movie pushes even farther. The spectacle is amazing... and the tightrope act of how it's all written even more so. The movie has enough underpinnings in the real-world atrocities of colonialism that it never feels like a trifle, but it never gets so bound up in seriousness that it loses sight of entertaining first and foremost.
The two leads here, N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, are outstanding. They're called on to be serious at times, but to keep tongues planted firmly in cheeks at other times. They both have a ton of fight choreography. And (small spoiler), they have to sing and dance too. Imagine Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman, but also doing all his Wolverine-type stuff in the same movie. That's what both these actors are pulling off in RRR.
OK, there are a few weak spots. The CG isn't great (even though it seems like a huge milestone for Indian cinema). The English-speaking actor you might actually recognize from elsewhere, Ray Stevenson, gives a rather hammy performance. But the delights of this movie outshine any shortcomings.
RRR showed up on enough critics' "best of 2022" lists that some Oscar buzz began to build. Indeed, it landed an Original Song nomination for "Naatu Naatu," a highlight of the movie (and sure to be a highlight of the Oscar ceremony, if they can pull off a live performance). But it missed out on a Best Picture nod, perhaps in part because it also missed out on Best International Feature Film. Each country gets to submit just one film for that category, and India chose a different film to represent it. (Word is that the taste makers of India want to distance their cinema from "Bollywood," and eschewed anything of similar excess.) Without RRR in contention in the International Film category, it likely had a longer ladder to climb for Best Picture, and seems to have come up short.
But it definitely makes my Top 10 list for the year, sliding in at #5 with a very solid B+. Yes, three hours is a big commitment, but it's one that will be rewarded.
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