John Abraham is impressive in Attack. Sadly, the story is not, notes Namrata Thakker.
There's no denying that action is John Abraham's forte, and he returns with yet another action affair.
Attack explores a new aspect in the action domain and that's refreshing to see.
The film slides into the sci-fi genre by introducing us to Artificial Intelligence and how it could revolutionise India's defence systems going forward.
While we haven't seen film-makers explore AI in Bollywood, the overall concept isn't novel in the cinematic world.
If you're a Marvel fan, you already know how AI works with action, especially if Iron Man is your favourite superhero.
So John's outing wasn't a revelation to me, but the sci-fi genre will appeal to a section of audience who don't follow Marvel or Hollywood movies.
Arjun Shergill (John Abraham), an Indian Army officer, ends up on a wheelchair after being shot by terrorists during an attack.
He also loses the love of his life, Ayesha (Jacqueline Fernandez), in the attack.
A year later, Arjun agrees to an AI experiment and decides to rejoin the armed forces.
A computer chip is inserted at the back of his neck and soon, Arjun is back on his feet. But this time, he's better and stronger.
This time, he's a SUPER SOLIDER!
So when Parliament comes under attack, Arjun is given the responsibility to nab the mastermind who shares a history with him.
How he tackles an army of terrorists with his super powers forms the rest of the story.
John is impressive and does deliver the action.
He's pretty decent in the acting department and pulls off comic scenes too.
The entire movie rests on his shoulders and he earnestly carries the weight till the very end.
But what lets him down is the story and the visual effects.
It's disappointing that the makers have not gone all out when it comes to VFX, as the movie is basically about AI.
The visual effects should have been the USP, but it's not.
As for the storyline, while the Indian audience have been given a new hero in the form of a super soldier, the makers forgot to give us a new enemy. After all, a hero is only as good as his villain.
The whole 'terrorists attacking India' is a done-to-death plot.
The supporting cast hardly adds any value to the movie.
Jacqueline is average and looks good with John.
Rakul Preet Singh, Prakash Raj and Ratna Pathak Shah land up with badly written roles and their acting doesn't help either.
Still, the movie is slick, sharply edited and doesn't lose momentum.
Also, the run-time at two hours works in its favour.
John says he will return with Attack Part 2, and here's hoping something bigger and better comes along.
If you love action and John Abraham, give this film a watch.
