Oxygen Movie ReviewBOTTOM LINE
Takes The Life

OUR RATING
1.75/5

CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 36 mins.


GopichandWhat is the film Oxygen about?
Raghupati (Jagapathi Babu) and his family are under attack by an unknown enemy. Under such dangerous circumstances, marriage is fixed in the household. Shruti’s (Rashi Khanna) marriage is set with Krishna Prasad (Gopichand). How Krishna Prasad (Gopichand) gets involved in the family problem and what does he do is what the film is all about?

How is Gopichand’s performance?
Gopichand is super fit for the role. He is terrific physically which helps a great deal in the fights, and does his usual acting with all the sincerity. There is nothing that stands out in his act, but at the same time, there is nothing to call it bad. It is routine work for the actor, and he does it with full commitment.


Jyothi KrishnaDirection By Jyothi Krishna?
After a very long gap, and that too after three back to back disappointments, Jothi Krishna is back to direct again. The way the film progresses and is narrated, we have to say there is no improvement in him.

The problem, more than the direction is in the story and screenplay. The story is weak, and when the actual point is revealed in the flashback, it feels like a typical revenge saga. The aim seems to be to turn this revenge motive into a more significant cause for the good of the people. These two elements stick out and make the film unwatchable as we get towards the end.

The first half of Oxygen is thin on story and relies more on comedy. For a family audience who look for clean entertainment, it might work initially, but even here things turn repetitive very soon. Until the interval, Oxygen is on the ventilator.

It is in the second half that the Oxygen is wholly removed and the audience feels the painful death one by one, by the end, Oxygen feels like an exercise in survival. The narration loses the track entirely, and we are left watching proceedings that are lifeless, and with no stakes involved despite so much happening. Overall, Oxygen is a waste of precious time. It is more so because we get the message without having to endure the length of a movie, at the beginning itself, courtesy a disclaimer.


Anu EmmanuelAnu Emmanuel and others?
Rashi Khanna and Anu Emanuel are heroines in the movie. The latter was actually supposed to debut with Oxygen, or maybe it could have been her second one. Whatever it is, they have decent roles keeping the utter commercial sensibility of the film in mind. They are useful in what they do.

There are many well-known character actors besides the heroines, but none have properly defined roles that we could remember. There are Jagapathi Babu, Shaam, Brahmaji, Shayaji Shinde, Abhimanyu Singh, Nagineedu, Chandra Mohan, Milind Gunaji and many more. One can only imagine how bad their roles would have been to not able to create any impact. Ali gets a full-fledged comedy role after a gap, and he delivers in parts. Raghu is alright, and Raghubabu is wasted.

Music and other departments?
Yuvan Shankar Raja provides the songs for the movie. There is one typical hummable song from him. Chinna did the background score. It is loud, but it goes well with the overall tone. The cinematography is decent in places. The editing is bad. The VFX is poor. Dialogues are passable.


Jagapati BabuHighlights?
Interval
Message
Gopichand

Drawbacks?
Second half
Screenplay
Story


Raashi KhannaAlternative Take
A movie on same lines without the family angle should be alright. It could be a mission an army officer takes that focus solely on action.

Did I enjoy it?
No

Will you recommend it?
No

Oxygen Review by Siddartha Toleti