The highly anticipated film GOAT, starring Thalapathy Vijay and directed by Venkat Prabhu, premiered on September 5 and sparked a wave of social media reactions. The title, an acronym for “Greatest of All Time,” set high expectations, and early responses suggest that Vijay’s performance lives up to the hype.
What worked?
Vijay, beloved for his dynamic screen presence, delivers a standout performance that has thrilled fans. Twitter is abuzz with praise for his emotional range, energy, and action sequences. Many fans, like @MahilMass, rated his first-half performance as 4.5/5 and the second half a perfect 5/5, hailing the climax as a “winner.” This enthusiasm affirms Vijay’s ability to elevate even slower parts of the movie.
However, the reactions to the plot and the screenplay are much more diverse. Although Vijay has received appreciation for his performance, some of the viewers felt that the first half was boring and termed it as ‘a snoozefest’. Twitter user @nayagan97 said that even Vijay couldn’t help the film to have a better first half. Still, the film is said to get better in the second half, and has a thrilling climax that is enough to save the movie for some.
Some mixed reactions as well
The movie direction by Venkat Prabhu which has a commercial touch with a different story line has been appreciated as well as criticized. While some appreciated his effort to come out of the conventional Tamil cinema formula, some others found the screenplay was not uniform. In terms of the technical aspects, the cinematography, music, and editing have also received positive remarks, particularly the well-executed and well-choreographed action scenes.
Audience response is still a hit or miss, although the Twitter hashtag #TheGreatestOfAllTime is still going around. Though many have complained about the slow pace, all of them have noted that Vijay’s acting and the movie’s climax make GOAT a worthwhile experience for his fans.
