Spyder movie review: A different attempt by Mahesh

Cast: Mahesh Babu, Rakul Preet Singh, S.J. Surya, Priyadarshi, Bharath and others
Director: A.R. Murugadoss

The verdict is finally here. After generating a massive buzz, SPYder released worldwide on Wednesday. The high budget, bilingual film marked Mahesh Babu’s Tamil debut.

Shiva (Mahesh Babu), an Intelligence Bureau official develops a spy software to identify people in need of help. This software enables him to arrest criminals, often before they can commit crimes. One day, Shiva gets a call from a young girl and he immediately sends a woman cop to her rescue. Shockingly, both the girl and the cop are found brutally murdered the next day. Upon investigation, Shiva discovers that serial killer Bhairava (S.J. Suryah) is responsible for the felony. When Bhai-rava realises that Shiva has identified him, he decides to commit a bigger crime. How Shiva foils the sadistic killer’s plan is the crux of SPYder.

Murugadoss is one of the most acclaimed directors in India. He is known for making movies with a message as well as stylish action films, and chooses a unique subject for each of his films. His latest film Spyder revolves around the encounter between a psycho serial killer and an intelligence officer. In his inimitable style, Murugadoss uses the story to show how governments and intelligence departments use technology to nab criminals.

The film becomes extremely gripping in the first half after Shiva finds out about Bhairava and travels to his village for a background story on how he became a serial killer. However, once Bhairava’s identity is revealed, the director loses the pacy touch. This brings us to the second half of the film, does have a few engaging scenes, but the climax is predictable. There are two commendable sequences in the film. One, where he tries to save his mother from the killer and when he saves a family using the technology he has developed. While the songs of SPYder are enjoyable, their timing in the story is completely off.

When it comes to performances, Mahesh Babu’s sincere attempt translates into his performance on screen; he fits perfectly into the role. Kudos to the Telugu superstar for accepting such a serious subject and an unusual genre. This is not a film where the hero comes in and bashes villains after a few comedy scenes and saves the family. SPYder is a story driven film.

Rakul Preet Singh does not have much screen time as she is there mostly for the songs. The big surprise is S.J. Suryah who definitely steals the show with his performance. There are limited characters in the film and actor Bharath appears in a cameo. However, the makers could have roped in more Telugu actors to give the audience here a sense of connectivity.

One of the highlights of the film is Santosh Sivan’s cinematography. The acclaimed Sivan has once again, weaved magic into the shots. The close-ups, the chasing scenes and the way some of the other scenes have been shot are all unbelievable. Harris Jayaraj’s background score is interesting too, and so is the art work.

Finally, even though the director’s attempt is commendable, SPYyder could have been a lot more if only director A.R. Murugudoss concentrated just a little more on the second half.