Fighter

"Succumbing to the current atmosphere of hyper-nationalism leads to bombast, which in turn weakens a film. Two things prevent 'Fighter' from being a total humdinger: excessive jingoism and schmaltz."

"The film feels hollow. Siddharth's insistent high-decibel nationalism, ultimately, damages his story-telling."

"The Fighter rises above these by the sheer presence that Bale and Leo bring to their roles as the wayward brother and ambitious mother of boxer Micky Ward (Wahlberg), tying him down with the pressure of family they bring upon him. Always superb in edgy roles with undefined centres, Bale shines as a shadow of Dicky's former self."

"Fighter is a big-screen visual spectacle, which should not be missed. For me, this has to be Siddharth Anand's best work. Yes, better than War and Pathaan."

"Fighter is a homage not only to IAF but to our armed forces in general. It's an easy breezy action film cut with oodles of patriotism and is buoyed by bankable performances. Watch it for its top notch aerial duels and for Hrithik and Deepika's chemistry."

"'Fighter' does not have much new to offer in terms of its plot and narrative. But it is an engaging fare, and if you are an action buff, the killer aerial combat sequences will leave you impressed."

"Fighter, an aerial action thriller directed and co-produced by Siddharth Anand, struggles to shake off its flat trajectory. However, despite Deepika Padukone adding to the star power quotient, the film feels vacuous and vapid. Hrithik Roshan does his best to lift the film as high as he can, but Fighter could have done with a more fearsome villain."

"Fighter is a film about loving your nation, though that's a secondary concern. It is, first and foremost, a film about loving Hrithik Roshan. Siddharth Anand directed two of the most visually compelling action films of recent years, War (2019) and Pathaan (2023). Fighter offers impressive visual fidelity, seamlessly blending real-world aircrafts with what must be computer-generated models in the trickier scenes. However, the dialogue writing is painfully off, and the film's one-note triumphalism and sentimentality dampen the fun."

"Fighter is in sync with the times, offering sumptuous national mood of happiness and adrenaline-pumped action. While the central villain is a huge let down and the script lacks credibility in its black-and-white portrayal of opposing forces, the film delivers high emotive moments and solidifies Deepika Padukone's positioning as an action heroine with her chemistry with Hrithik Roshan being subtle, unique, and special."

"Siddharth Anand's Fighter soars high on the entertainment quotient. Fighter is a big-screen spectacle. When those birds soar high in the air, there is nothing that can take your eyes off the screen. Hrithik and Deepika set the screen on fire and I won't be surprised if they become the go-to pair for big-ticket movies in the future."

"The Fighter stands a fair chance at the Indian box-office due to its good story and superb performances. The Fighter is worth a watch for just Christian Bale's performance."

"It's Top Gun meets Uri minus everything good about those films. Any film that gets privileged by everything and yet fails to optimize hurts the cinema lover in us & that's why I would pick a HanuMan over this on any given day."

"After the flawed Tejas film, finally Bollywood delivers a brilliantly made movie on the Indian Air Force. With its brilliant VFX and dedicated star cast and not just Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, all the actors delivered their best performance. A complete value for money, Fighter is perfect for the big screen."

"F1: The Movie is definitely a fun time at the movies and deserves a big screen experience. The film has you locked-in throughout as it takes you on a high-speed ride. Instead of fighter jets, we have a spectacle of Formula 1 racing cars that feels just as epic in scope for an incredibly stylish and exhilarating film."

"Fighter's distressing lack of thrills and sizzle reduces the exercise to an excuse for tedious amounts of Pakistan bashing. Stupidity, not sky, is the limit for this superficial saga of valour whose understanding of heroics is as dense as the kajal in the eye of the enemy across the border."

"Fighter is a full-on entertainer that engages and excites in equal parts. The near perfect screenplay keeps you invested and engaged to a point that you barely focus on the loopholes, and it's high on patriotism but never resorts to chest-thumping chants."

"The Fighter scores because of its flawed yet intriguing characters who are so well-sketched, you begin to feel a part of their personal battles. Coursed with such enticing accurate enactments, which possess enough reason to pay this thumping court a visit, The Fighter is a winner even though some might accuse it to be too predictable."