GOAT Movie Summary: MS Gandhi (Vijay), a former officer of the Special Anti-Terrorist Squad (SATS), embarks on a mission that affects him and threatens his family life

GOAT Movie Review: In the 2007 film Azhagiya Tamil Magan, a young Vijay is pitted against his doppelganger. Seventeen years later, we get to see the same thing, but now it’s Thalapathy versus Ilaya Thalapathy. GOAT opens up a new version of Vijay for fans to celebrate. With GOAT, Vijay is not just Venkat Prabhu’s hero, but also Venkat Prabhu’s villain.

MS Gandhi (Vijay), a highly skilled officer of the Special Anti-Terrorist Squad (SATS), is a typical ‘Family Man’, who hides his profession from his wife (Sneha). He carries shopping lists with him while he carries out an attack on the villains. The couple, parents of a boy (Jeevan), are expecting their second child. Gandhi’s SATS team consists of Sunil Thiagarajan (Prashanth), Kalyan Sundaram (Prabhudeva), Ajay (Ajmal Ameer) and their boss Nazeer (Jayaram). During a working holiday in Thailand, an unpleasant incident changes his life and his approach to work. Reduced to 17, Gandhi is now an immigration officer, who spends his days stamping passports and looking after his daughter who lives with his wife. The couple gets separated. During a working holiday in Russia, Gandhi accidentally meets his tall, tall son Jeevan, a young Vijay. And so begins a game of cat and mouse.

With action and emotional sequences, the first half of the film sets the stage for an interesting interval block, which is said to pack a punch but predictably softens the catharsis. The second half has a lot of twists but the climax scene – a fan pleaser set during the live CSK match – is a bit of a drag. The storyline follows a very familiar pattern and the story is unfortunately very predictable. The overall length of the film is also a concern. The action scenes are also about average. The face-off scenes between the young and old Vijay are engaging. With a conventional story, director Venkat Prabhu capitalizes heavily on Vijay’s trademark charm. With de-aging technology, he can do it twice as well! Vijay is GOAT, there is no doubt about that and he pulls off both roles with ease. Playing a younger boy in the de-aging version and adapting to the mannerisms gets full marks. His villainous side is very convincing. Vijays are GOAT’s biggest asset. With Vijaykanth as the front, Vijay also sends a ‘political message’ to his fans. Kokila Mohan as Rajiv Menon, a former SATS officer turned villain, has done a great job as a bad boy, but between the two Vijays – Thalapathy and Ilaya Thalapathy – his character gets lost. Prashant, Prabhudeva, Sneha, Jayram, Meenakshi Chowdary add to Vijay’s charm. Yogi Babu and Premji provide the comic relief, with the former doing well in the Gandhi-Nehru bit. The de-aging technology is extremely well done, contrary to the comments we saw after the trailer released.

A few throwback gestures and dialogues from a few Vijay and Venkat Prabhu films, including Mankatha, are blended in a natural way without going overboard. From Ghilli’s Marudhamalai to Beast’s Habibi, Venkat Prabhu has included all sorts of tributes to his fans. Trisha’s special cameo and the duo doing the signature ‘Appadi Podu’ step get all the nods. The CSK magic, the Ranjithame-style kiss, Guna’s Kanmani Anbodu, Padayappa’s signature music and the Thala-Thalapathy debate at the end, VP packs all sorts of nostalgic tricks to keep the audience hooked through the average, predictable storyline.

GOAT deserved better music; Yuvan Shankar Raja scores well in action and high-rise scenes, but songs, including the special number with Trisha, are a big letdown. Cinematography is also mediocre, as VFX has taken over in most of the outdoor locations.

Endless fan moments, all mass and no solid substance make GOAT an average viewing experience for moviegoers, and a celebrated viewing experience for his hardcore fans. In his 32 year career and 68 films, GOAT is good, but certainly not Greatest Of All Times!