A tight, inventive time-travel film carried by a strong Suriya performance.
Verdict tier Recommended, most critics liked it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.
Critic consensus
Critics received '24' with broad approval, praising director Vikram Kumar for crafting a logically consistent and genuinely surprising time-travel narrative that keeps its internal rules intact. Suriya's performance drew repeated commendation, with several reviewers citing it as a key reason to watch the film, and the technical execution and visual presentation were also noted positively. The climax in particular was highlighted as a strong creative choice. The most common criticism was directed at the romantic subplot between Sathya and Mani, which at least one critic found to drag the narrative down.
2 not-rated reviews aren't plotted
Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10
AI-generated summary of 10 critic reviews · may contain errors
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Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated
Film review ·
Based on the end scenes of what happens to the watch, Vikram kumar is clearly keeping the doors open for spinning the yarn for the second part of 24. The director deserves a pat for drafting a 'Nolanesque' script while keeping the narrative simple and logical within the confines of this concept. This brilliant contraption of a film is a must watch for its deft making and exceptional performances of Suriya.
Film review ·
It has been a while since we had a film whose twists and double twists were genuinely surprising and in 24, we are kept slightly off-guard as to what might happen when a character does something. Vikram Kumar doesn't sacrifice the internal logic of the story, so the twists always seem plausible and surprising.
Film review ·
Absolutely no time taken in setting up the plot or leeway given to the audience to settle down - Beware, for this particular film, it is a mandate to watch it from the first for you to enjoy the complete essence of the story; please avoid walking into the cinema hall late!
Film review ·
This movie is a must-watch for Suriya's stellar performance and director Vikram Kumar's time travel script. 24 is a visually stunning film with a novel concept.
Film review ·
Making a film about time travel (or anything on sci-fi, for that matter) is like attempting a question in an interview which you don't know the answer to. The more you blabber, the more you get yourself into trouble. It is better to keep it low, and that's exactly what Vikram Kumar has done with 24
Film review ·
The climax is another point where the director seems to have worked hard to bring the best outcome. As the movie opens up a wide range of possibilities for a conclusion, Vikram Kumar chose the best option that provides a whole new perspective about the movie and also about time riddled life through the climax.
Film review ·
Director Vikram's 24 is a cleverly crafted entertainer that is worth your time and money.
Film review ·
However, the Sathya-Mani romance is silly to the core, and drags the narrative down by several notches, though uniformly fine performances by Menen, Samantha and Suriya come as magic relief.
Film review ·
It is not often we get films in India that have Sci-Fi, Action, Romance, Comedy & emotional drama bundled into a single film but still not fall under this overly abused tag of 'Masala Film'. This is where Vikram Kumar and actor-producer Suriya score by giving us a fantastic whirlwind experience over the course of 160 odd minutes.
Film review ·
24 is laudable for its attempt to take Indian mainstream cinema a step ahead. The lead actor and technical team apart, there's good support from other pivotal characters including Ajay. Nithya Menen is a delight in a brief role and renders the lullaby 'Lalijo' beautifully.
From our readers
7 ratings · user score 8.4
After a couple of months in the Middle East, it's great to be back on home soil & what better way to celebrate it than in the confines of one of the best theaters in the country. Since I had a halt in Chennai, my buddy Naresh insisted that I watch a movie in Satyam & even booked tickets for me. So first & foremost, I have to thank my bro for that as I did enjoy the experience. But was it just the ambience or did Suriya's "24" enhance the effect??? The film unfolds in 1990 as a reputed scientist, Sethuraman (Suriya) invents a watch which rewrites the concept of time & makes time travel possible. However, his joy was short-lived as his evil twin Atreya was hell bent on claiming the invention for his devious schemes. Though Sethu manages to save his son & prevent Atreya from getting his hands on the watch, it came at the cost of the lives of his wife & himself. Years passes by & the kid grows into a fine young man, Mani oblivious of his father's invention while the paralyzed Atreya wakes up from coma and hoped to reclaim the watch with the intention of reversing his physical condition. So will Mani realize the worth of the invention before it's too late & stop his uncle??? Unlike other directors, I do have to admit I haven't watched much of Vikram Kumar's previous ventures except for Madhavan's psychological horror thriller "13B"which I really enjoyed. In the sci-fi "24" apart from donning the director's hat, Vikram has also penned the script. As a craftsman, he has done an impressive job as the film was well executed though the VFX effects could have been better in some sequences. With regard to the story as such, it doesn't offer anything new due to numerous movies with similar story lines, but that doesn't imply it was tedious for the audience as it provided adequate dosage of comedy & twists. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the music was by AR Rahman as it was pretty average while the BGM was spot on. Tirru deserves praise for his visuals while Prawin Pudi could have been more judicious in the editing. After numerous failed efforts in the form of "7am arivu". "Maatraan", "Maasu", Suriya's tryst with sci-fi finally bore fruit as this one will surely woo the audience. As always, Suriya was fantastic & inspite of essaying three different characters he made sure each of it was distinct. He absolutely rocked as the antagonist be it with the expressions or body language & it will surely rank as one of his best performances to date. As for the rest of the cast, when it is 3 Suriyas on screen they barely had much scope but still managed to do their parts adequately be it Saranya Ponvannan, Ajay, Nithya Menen or Samantha (as eye candy). Verdict: As per latest reports, the film is on its way to become a blockbuster & provides Suriya a much needed break from the lean patch he had endured for quite a while. Vikram has already announced a sequel "24 Decoded" which should materialize seeing the response to this movie. With sci-fi being a prominent genre, the theme as such wont appear novel but it has sufficient ingredients to keep us entertained. In short, do check it out for Suriya's performance!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben
24 movie 2016 must watch twin brother thriller.
I watched that movie in 5 times, it's one of the great movie... Hates off vikram kumar for the creation... Suriya is a only person for acted in this movie... Fabulous songs and BGM , thank u , AR.Rahman
hollwood range ,repeated experiments makes us bore
Credits
SuriyaMani
Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Nithya Menen
Saranya Ponvannan
Ajay
Girish Karnad
Vikram Kumar
A. R. Rahman
Tirru
Suriya Sivakumar
Ajay Rathnam
Santhanam
Mohan V. Raman
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