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Yaan backdrop

Yaan

2 October 2014Tamil2h 36m
out of 10
Unfavorablemost critics didn't like it
Monk Score · 9 scored reviews · 2 not rated

Slick visuals can't paper over Yaan's illogical, thriller-free screenplay.

Verdict tier Unfavorable, most critics didn't like it, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: Slick visuals and cinematography
  • Criticised: Weak, illogical screenplay

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Critic consensus

What 11 critics are saying

Critical reception for Yaan is largely negative, with most reviewers awarding the film a low score. The near-unanimous point of praise is the film's cinematography and visual polish, described variously as 'brilliant camera work,' 'slick' visuals, and 'stunning scenes.' However, critics consistently fault the screenplay, citing poor logic, weak writing, an unconvincing climax, and a lack of genuine thrills or narrative coherence. Several reviewers also note the film's excessive runtime and mood-disrupting songs as additional shortcomings.

How the 9 scores spread

2 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 11 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (11)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. BookMyShow

    Film review ·

    Less thrills, more drama! Watch this film for its visually stunning scenes and for the thrill chase sequences.
  2. FilmiBeat

    Film review ·

    Yaan is a typical Hollywood inspired Tamil movie with some brilliant camera work in which the visuals look slick but fails to impress one and all due to its poor writing which makes the movie logic-less and dull. So dull, that it conveniently overcomes the glossiness provided by the cinematography.
  3. India Glitz

    Film review ·

    All said, 'Yaan' is a clean entertainer, healthy for family audience, but for just a couple of hard action scenes. It is certainly worth the watch, provided you do not expect too many fights or too much mushy love from it, and aren't very conscious about the three hours it will consume.
  4. MovieCrow

    Film review ·

    Logic and Yaan are mutually exclusive terms. But that will not be a problem if the film is entertaining enough. Sadly it is not so, barring the pleasing visuals. Replace the second 'a' in the title 'Yaan' with a 'w'and that is what the film offers you.
  5. Rediff

    Film review ·

    Yaan is a long, tedious and completely over-the-top action drama of a fun- loving unemployed youngster, whose life turns upside down when he sets out to prove himself for his love...
  6. Sify

    Film review ·

    ...the biggest problem with Yaan is that there are no twists and the climax is not convincing. The film could have been trimmed by atleast 15 minutes and songs in the second half act as speed breakers.
  7. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    Unfortunately for us, the second only makes the first seem better despite the actual plot kicking in only here. We have to put up with amateurishly written prison sequences, an unimaginative way to bring the heroine into the plot (you keep wondering why it has to be her and not someone better qualified, like her dad's cop friend Anwar, who has to go to Basilistan to save Chandru), mood-killing songs, and stunts filled with cliches (a bald man gets hammered on his head with a bottle, and he dies by striking his head against a hook, a Bourne-inspired sequence where the hero has to save the heroine from the villain's henchmen through cobbled alleyways, and the most cliched of cliches — a villain who is the worst shot ever).
  8. Zee News

    Film review ·

    Maybe, Chandran is a better cinematographer than a filmmaker. Or maybe he just isn't ready yet to be a filmmaker.
  9. PipingHotViews

    Film review ·

    With great hype comes greater burden of meeting expectations – 'Yaan' falls prey to this adage as it flounders at the start and fails to keep on its feet as it is dealt several body blows due to a weak script, poor execution and ill-advised knots in the storyline. A good one to give a miss!
  10. The Hindu

    Film review ·

    It is high time that filmmakers recognise the fact that packing a two-hour film merely with chase and action sequences is not going to hold the audience's attention. What is needed is a meaty story narrated in a coherent manner. Much was expected of Ravi K. Chandran's debut film. But, it looks like his time hasn't come yet.

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