RETRO MOVIE REVIEW
Cast: Suriya, Pooja Hegde, Joju George, Nasser, Jayaram, Prakash Raj
Director: Karthik Subbaraj
Rating: 4/5
Right, Retro. Trying to neatly summarize this nearly three-hour Karthik Subbaraj film is like trying to explain a fever dream involving gangsters, romance, rocket launchers disguised as fish, and a bizarre island death cult. It’s… a lot. Going into this one relatively fresh, I just strapped in for whatever weird ride it promised, and honestly? It was interesting, if occasionally baffling.
Let’s be clear: this is Suriya’s show. He plays Paari, a dude so emotionally constipated by his rough past that cracking a smile seems physically painful. But Suriya sells it, packing layers of turmoil behind those intense eyes. He makes you believe this stoic gangster could genuinely want out, especially for Rukmini (Pooja Hegde). Plus, he handles the action (that finger-jab thing is brutal!) and even the dancing with commanding presence. That 15-minute, single-shot wedding scene is the best part; it totally sets up the father-son conflict.
The first half cooks along nicely with its gangster-tries-to-go-straight vibe, juggling Paari’s loyalty issues with his shady father figure Thilakan (Joju George) and the whole “Gold Fish” mystery. Santosh Narayanan’s score hits the moody, retro-cool atmosphere. But then, somewhere around the midpoint, KS seemingly decides the film isn’t quite weird enough and slams the gearstick into “Wait, What?” territory. Suddenly, we’re off to Andaman, dealing with an ancient cult, prophecies, enslaved villagers, and Nasser chewing scenery as a tyrannical landlord.
I get why the cult stuff is there – it ties into Paari’s origins and destiny. But the shift is jarring. It feels like KS had two (or maybe five) different movie ideas and just crammed them together. The second half throws so much mythology and new conflict at you so quickly that the emotional thread from the first half gets frayed. The pacing gets choppy, and while the ambition is undeniable, the narrative coherence takes a hit. It needed a smoother blend, maybe seeding the cult weirdness earlier.
Despite the overstuffed feeling and the slightly shaky second act, Retro never really loses your attention. It’s bursting with cool ideas, stylish visuals, and that magnetic Suriya performance holding the chaotic centre. It’s the kind of film where the director clearly had a blast throwing everything at the wall, and while not everything sticks perfectly, enough of it does to make for an entertaining experience. It’s ambitious, messy, but definitely memorable.