The Archies

A vibrant colour palette, an array of wonderful musical tracks, the infectious verve of young actors, and a period story imbued with concerns of contemporary relevance propel The Archies into a zone where even the palpably facile is a whole lot of fun and marked by stylistic flair. The Archies has an easy-flowing rhythm thanks to a gallery of vivid characters that are never archetypal even though they possess clear-cut characteristics. A beguiling oddity. In style, substance and spirit.

The kids are all right. The film is a bland bauble. Only a couple of songs stand out, and overall, the writing isn't perky enough.

The pace slackens towards the end, but other than overlength, there's little to complain about. It's a near-perfect comic book movie handling heavy issues with a feather-light touch.

THE ARCHIES is a fine entertainer that will get a whopping viewership on Netflix due to the fascinating setting, kids-friendly and family-friendly theme, style, music, message and above all, the excitement of watching the debut of the most talked about star kids in recent times.

The movie works well and charms as a musical with foot-tapping and fun tracks, and the posse of fresh faces are its strongest point. However, the movie loses steam in the second half and could have been more engaging as the conflict escalates, with convenient solutions and a trifling resolution.

Though it is neither as witty nor subversive and is undeniably Akhtar's weakest feature film directorial yet, The Archies is just too blunt and bland. The one main character that truly shines is the music, but the lead nepo-babies—Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, and Suhana Khan—are too plastic, never feeling like real people.