Nayanthara's 'O2' review: Wonderful thriller let down by underwhelming narrative
What's the story
Lady superstar Nayanthara's O2 is a survival flick where the protagonist along with 10 other passengers, including her son, gets stuck in a dangerous situation where no one knows a way out.
Watching their desperate attempts to stay alive is a chilling experience.
But the well-intended film is demolished by the underwhelming narrative.
Here's our detailed review of the GS Viknesh directorial.
Plot
What is the film all about?
There is Parvathy (Nayanthara), the mother of a seven-year-old boy who cannot breathe without oxygen support.
There is a woman with her father and boyfriend.
A police officer trying to sell a bag of cocaine, a former inmate, an ex-MLA, and his assistant are there too.
They travel on the same bus, which gets buried under landslide debris. How do they manage to survive?
Negative
Narrative is draggy, not tightly packed
O2 has several dragging sequences that make the film-watching experience boring.
Take, for example, the scene where Parvathy has a full-blown conversation with a doctor or when the former inmate engages in a lengthy chat with her.
All characters are introduced with the help of slow, uninteresting backstories.
And even if you skip some 20 minutes, in the beginning, you will not miss anything.
Cons
Major let-down: Film is full of never-ending clichés
Like the bus in O2, the good-intended story is also buried—under never-ending cliches.
The police officer plays the antagonist and the cliches around him irritate you.
He asks an inmate to massage his legs nefariously.
Also, filmmakers should come up with new ideas to portray a mother's love.
No mother would go around tickling her son when they are struggling for survival.
Verdict
Not a must-watch but one won't regret watching 'O2'
Nayanthara proves once again that she has the acting muscle to carry a whole film on her shoulders.
She especially impresses us in O2 since almost all the screen time is around her and she does not fail you for even a moment.
O2 has several gripping edge-of-the-seat moments that make you forget all other flaws.
We are going with 3/5 stars for O2.