Touted to be India’s first and only Super Soldier film, Attack has a massive action star in John Abraham. The movie has a decent craze among fans but faces a monstrous opponent in RRR at the box office. Let’s have a look at how it performs to understand if it can sustain at the ticket windows.
Attack Movie Review Summary
Attack has a good concept and executes it well to some extent. However, the film struggles to ride on the opportunity with a half-baked script. You can watch it for decent VFX and an ambitious concept.
Attack Movie Synopsis
Starring John Abraham in the lead role and female protagonists like Rakul Preet and Jacqueline Fernandez in cameos, Attack is based on the concept of ‘Super Soldiers’. The movie is directed by Lakshya Raj Anand.
Interestingly, the story idea of Attack was initiated by John Abraham himself. He plays Arjun Shergill, an Army officer. Jacqueline is Ayesha, as a flight attendant, while Rakul Preet plays Dr. Saba Qureshi, an Indian Scientist.
The story pertains to India’s fight against terrorism, with John leading the pack of ace Army officers. He finds a love interest in Ayesha, but their life is turned upside down by a terrorist attack that leaves Arjun Shergill paralyzed for life.
Will he get back on his feet? If yes, how will that happen?
The movie also stars Prakash Raj in a pivotal role and marks the comeback of veteran actor, Kiran Kumar, to the big screen.
What works for Attack?
Concept
The film is based on a novel concept that has not been overtly tried in the Indian Film industry. Before the release of Attack, some people even talked of it as a picture directly competing with Hollywood flicks.
Its concept relates to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make a ‘Super Soldier’, who can combat enemies with zero fuss. AI enters inside the soldier’s body via a chip. However, there’s a catch. The chip needs to coordinate with the brain to perform functions smoothly.
Attack succeeds in making the audience believe in the idea. In this already growing world of advanced technology, anything is possible, and that’s what the John Abraham starrer catches upon. Firstly, it creates a conducive environment, infusing emotions, making the protagonist helpless, and then builds upon that with the concept of a ‘Super Soldier’.
Screenplay and Narration
Attack has a fast-paced screenplay. Also, its narration keeps you hooked and glued to the screen. Though the love angle seems like a distraction, it doesn’t overwhelm you entirely.
Performances
I will have to say that Attack is led by the cameos of Jacqueline and Rakul Preet Singh. For the first time, Fernandez doesn’t overdo things. She looks genuine in a rare performance. Her smile, expressions, the way of talking, among other things, all work in her favor. Maybe, that’s the result of the hard work she has done over the past years.
Rakul Preet has been off the screen for some time now and I have missed her honest acts since Sardar’s Grandson. As a scientist in Attack, she is authentic, sweet, and intelligent.
Coming to John Abraham, he gives his everything to the film but still looks weak as a romantic character. Maybe, it’s because of the Machoism he carries along. Barring the romantic scenes, he shines all throughout the film.
Prakash Raj delivers as usual. His persona adds weight to the movie and ensures there are no loose ends when it comes to having gripping characters.
Emotions
Scenes that are high on emotions are well placed and executed by the makers. Some of them are even goosebump-worthy. You may find the romantic sequences a tad out of place, but Attack shines pretty much when it comes to the sentimental parts.
Action scenes
Having John Abraham at the helm of things is an indication of the film falling in the ‘action’ genre, and Attack doesn’t disappoint.
There is no dearth of action sequences since it is based on a soldier’s life. However, if you are expecting too many one-on-one combats, you will be disheartened.
Short duration
With a runtime of only 120 minutes, Attack doesn’t eat you up. It is crisp and distances itself from clutter, for the most part. The narration is not riddled with cliches, but that doesn’t mean it has none.
What doesn’t work for Attack?
The Love Story
Poor dialogues, a straight-faced John Abraham, and the regressive way of basing a story on revenge work against the love story of John and Jacqueline Fernandez.
Instead of being his usual self, John attempts too much to be a good lover on screen. Consequently, his expressions seem fake and make you doubt how such scenes even made the final cut.
Poor Writing
There are instances in Attack where the writers contradict themselves. Revealing them would mean spoilers, and hence, not writing them is the best-suited option. Moreover, the writers fail to create a strong character sketch of John.
A little more depth and things would have been just fine. Also, there’s no mention of intelligence agencies. If something big is about to happen, the intelligence agencies must have a tinge of a clue about them. However, the writers completely overlook them and make a mockery of themselves.
The Indian audience is no longer naïve with shows like The Family Man showering light on the importance of intelligence. Maybe, the makers took a cue out of the American show ‘Designated Survivor,’ but they just blew it out of proportions, eventually.
2nd Half
I won’t call the second half of Attack bad or dud, but it fails to carry on the buildup of the first half. However, the film catches rhythm towards the last half an hour and makes for a decent ending.
FAQs
Is Attack Movie based on a real story?
No, Attack is not a real life story. It is an entire work of fiction from scratch.
Will there be more parts of Attack?
According to the makers, Attack will have several parts. But that depends on the feedback from audiences.
Are there any Super Soldiers in real?
No. Presently, there are no super soldiers in reality. Everything about them is fictional. However, many countries, including China, US, India, etc., are working on the possibilities of creating super soldiers using Artificial Intelligence.
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