Movie Snippets: War 2 (2025) - When Star Power Just Isn’t Enough

I’ve always believed that the heart of action cinema isn’t found in sky-high budgets or a glittering cast list. It’s about conviction in stories crafted with care, characters we can root for, and action that means something. That’s what makes it especially painful when a movie like War 2, backed by some of the biggest stars in the country, falls flat, turning anticipation into exasperation.

 The film is part of the YRF Spy Universe, with Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir dragged into a convoluted plot involving global business tycoons and surprisingly bland missions to save India from chaos. You’d expect such a story line to set the stage for intensity, but instead, you get a masquerade of misplaced priorities and logic-defying stunts that barely manage to hold attention for three tiring hours.

What truly grated on me was the utter lack of any emotional anchor. Kabir’s supposed patriotic urgency is as artificial as the tiger growls that randomly accompany Junior NTR’s entrances. Instead of forging a memorable antagonist out of NTR’s Vikram, the film delivers a poorly written character that’s completely devoid of real tension or charisma. The chemistry between Hrithik and Jr NTR, rather than sparking fireworks, feels forced and exhausting, like two performers trying to outdo each other with cartoonish bravado instead of relatable depth.

It’s hard not to cringe at the parade of outdated flashbacks, overdone dialogues, and action scenes that seem more intent on ignoring gravity and sense than actually gripping the audience. Watching the characters mindlessly one-up each other, only to come full circle to a bromance reveal, isn’t storytelling, it’s just shithousery for the sake of hyped-up box office numbers.

A glimmer of hope flickers in Kiara Advani’s role as a fighter pilot, injected into the mission to find Kabir. For one brief moment, the movie remembers what real energy looks like, as she handles her action scenes with credible finesse. But even this can’t save the film from its overall lack of inspiration, nor from music that’s as forgettable as the plot itself.

Commercial blockbusters with big names and bigger ambitions have a responsibility, not just to die-hard fans, but to any audience member wanting entertainment with substance.

Director Ayan Mukerji, usually known for hits like Wake up Sid, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, finds himself adrift here: action simply isn’t his arena, and it shows. When the creative choices behind the scenes are so uncommitted, it’s hard not to call them out.In the end, this film is a masterclass in missed opportunities. Instead of energy, excitement, or genuine drama, we’re left with a bloated exaggeration that takes everything for granted, except the audience’s patience.

Have you watched War 2? Did it leave you as bewildered as me, or did you somehow find sparks in all that smoke? 

Drop a comment and stay tuned for more Movie Snippets on films that move us, frustrate us, and sometimes just remind us of what matters.