Movie Review: ACTION REPLAYY (2010) – A God Awful Remake of ‘Back To The Future’

So far I’ve loved every single one of Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s films, starting from his first AANKHEN to his last LONDON DREAMS. (the fact that his last name is my first name has nothing to do with it!) However, I was very disappointed by his most recent directorial attempt. And yes, to my non-brown readers, this is an Indian film review… so keep reading and get some culture in you! (not that this is a movie to start expanding your horizons with.)

Rating: 1 Out Of 5 Stars

Vipul Shah has been able to seamlessly transition from unconventional thriller, to love story to serious drama… but his latest attempt at a fun filled masala style flick has failed in my opinion. ACTION REPLAYY tells the story of a young man who’s apprehensive of marriage due to his parent’s own horrible lives together, believing that marriage kills a relationship. But when faced with the opportunity to travel into the past, this young man decides to go back and ‘fix’ his parents relationship so that they are happier in the present… and along the way he learns a lot about them and himself. Sound familiar? It should, it’s more or less the premise of the first BACK TO THE FUTURE movie, with some Indianized modifications.

First off, it’s sad that the director whom I respect decided to do this blatant rehash of a Hollywood film. (I can’t say total rip-off as the sequence of events and overall story is completely different from BTTF.)

Secondly, as fun-filled as the movie is, it’s a mindless entertainer that offers to real depth to the characters or even plot. One can watch this movie with family, enjoy the toe tapping song and dance routines, and leave it at that.

The Sci-Fi element that served as the plot point in the beginning is ignored and completely under developed. Veteran actor Randhir Kapoor cameos as the scientist who develops the time machine, but is seen in the movie in only 4 short scenes. The destruction of the time machine after entering the past, that should’ve lead to the potential dilemma of the son’s return to his own time, is not even a concern in the entire film. The story is 2 dimensional with no sub plot to layer the film, or provides an alternative to the lead characters hooking up with the help of their son. There’s no urgency that drives the story forward, no real conflict as there was in BACK TO THE FUTURE. (Marty’s unintentional interference in his parents’ past ends up changing his future for the worst, even endangering his own existence, which he needs to correct through the course of the film.)

Over-all the performances were all basic and nothing to write home about. (I realize the irony of that statement given the nature of this piece.) The movie itself was a novelty as a throwback to the ‘70’s when it comes to the setting and atmosphere… but it’s hardly a period flick. Essentially what I’m trying to say in so many words is: ‘meh.’