We don’t know what the director understood by the word Macho, but it certainly has got nothing to do with unkempt hair and V-cut shirts. You see Prabhas giving a heavy competition to Deeksha and Tamanna in wearing plunging necklines — deeper than what is digestible (gulp!). There is a lot of style in the film, except that it’s terribly misplaced. Take for example the many Justin Beiber shirts that Prabhas sports and the garish-brand-screaming-punk-like belts, Armani, D&G, Diesel, just take your pick. The villains and goondas seem to have a better grasp of music, what with their Beatles T-shirts.
Talking about actual content, there isn’t much collateral to begin with. It’s ultimately a clichéd revenge drama, told in a tacky but slightly different fashion The film could have easily been cut down to two hours and boy! The extra fifty minutes feel like a punishment because there is only so much of jarring bass of dishoom-dishoom that you can take.
TimesOfIndia Review
Rating: 2.5/5
The movie pushes the limits of the term ‘stylized action’. In one episode you have Prabhas (in an all black ensemble) walking down the road puffing on a cigarette with the baddies flying all around him and the Dolby Stereo on full blast! In the climax, you have a bunch of smoking hot ‘firang’ ladies in red business suits and stilettos having a go at Prabhas, who himself is dressed in a white designer suit to boot!
It doesn’t stay ‘slick’ and ‘chic’ all the way though. We have Prabhas pitted against 100 sari-clad men as well. Clearly director Raghava Lawrence was in no mood to hold back and he’s given it the proverbial ‘everything but the kitchen sink’, never mind the stink! It’s a mass action entertainer after all.
The comedy tracks in the first-half evoke some laughs although they do raise questions of taste. If you are the type who would crack up watching Kovai Sarala and Brahmanadam gyrating to hip-hop music and Ali dancing to classical music then you will enjoy it. It’s an A rated movie after all.
There is a surfeit of elaborate action episodes but they fail to add any value to the overall experience. The music is another big let-down. The screenplay and writing is, well, amateurish at best. Looks like the formula failed to come together this time around. There is plenty of Prabhas though and we will have to see whether his presence alone can salvage this one. There is very little else.
Rediff Review: Rebel is for the masses
Rating: 1.5/5
When the Telugu film Rebel begins, one gets the impression that it’s going to be an action film. But as the film progresses, it turns into a revenge drama like so many others.
Working with hardly any storyline, director Raghava Lawrence had made a film that is arduous to watch.
The screenplay is predictable and illogical. The whole film is very loud. Lawrence tries to make it stylish with super cool villains, fights, Russian girls and even eunuch-like characters but to no avail.
As a choreographer, he has got the best out of Tamannaah and Prabhas. He has chosen to focus on Tamannah’s sex appeal rather than on her acting skills. She looks glamorous and dances well.
Prabhas does a good job. Deeksha Seth didn’t have much of a role. Krishnam Raju, Brahmanandam, Pradeep Rawat and Mukesh Rishi do what is expected of them.
The music, scored by Lawrence himself, is average.
Rebel is a movie for the masses and certainly not for the discerning audience.
NDTV Review
Rating: N/A
Rebel is an action revenge drama with a pinch of romance added. It revolves around Rishi (Prabhas), son of a mafia don (Krishnam Raju), who wants revenge for his father’s killing.
Prabhas is seen romancing Deeksha Seth in the first half of the movie and Tamannaah Bhatia in the second half.
Prabhas is at ease in his three different roles in the movie – a shy son, a lover and a gangster.
Tamannaah Bhatia appears in the most glamorous character as a hip hop dancer and excels in displaying her dancing skills. Deeksha Seth has only a very brief role in the film.
Cinematography is excellent in this film. Cinematographer C Ram Prasad has used different colours for the songs and picturisation of the fights. But the film is too lengthy.
Rebel serves up fare for the mass audience. The film will be definitely liked by Prabhas’ fans. Watch it for the dancing talent of Tamannaah Bhatia and action skills of Prabhas.
Bangalore Mirror: Rebellion overdose
Rating: N/A
If you are one of those who is keen to look for logic in every scene, then this is not your cup of tea. The best part – or the worst part – is that you find everybody has a gun and an urge to execute it.
The mindless bashing, which begins from scene one, continues till the end. Rebel has been one of the most-awaited flicks for the last two years. It had its share of controversies as Anushka was replaced by Tammannah while music director Taman apparently walked out, paving way for Lawrence to score the music (needless to say, it’s a big let-down). With his hands full, Lawrence has tried his best to give ‘too much’ on the platter, which actually turns out to be an overdose.
Deccan Chronicle: Unbelievable heroics
Rating: 1.5/5
Prabhas, who tasted success as a lover boy in Darling and Mr Perfect, is on action mode this time in Rebel. However, the repulsive and gory action sequences could not help his plans to score a hat-trick of hits.
His well-built body and fiery performance brings to life the role of an ‘angry young man’ who sets out to avenge the death of his parents but the exaggerated and unbelievable heroic feats dampen the proceedings and the climax fight (inspired by Kill Bill series) is hard to digest even for die-hard movie buffs.
Director Lawrence seems to not have come out of the hangover of his earlier hits like Mass and Don and we could find traces of both the films in Rebel, which scores high on repulsive action and less on content.
The director totally banks on the blatant skin show of Tamannah, slam-bang action, suave-looking villains and few jokes and brief father-son relationship, but it’s not sufficient to sustain audience interest for nearly three hours.
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