Theri lives up to the promise and delivers the goods as a racy emotional action entertainer. While reviewing Vijay films one has to compare it with the actor's previous films and this one is sure going to directly appeal to the masses. It is a crowd-pleaser , Thanks to its slick presentation Atlee has a cleverly crafted a predictable story which plays to the galleries. However it is Vijay's outstanding charisma and performance in two different characters that makes the film a superior commercial cinema. We are introduced to the small world of Joseph Kuruvila (Vijay), and his daughter Nivi (Nainika) who lives somewhere in Kerala (Goa locations are matched well to make it look like Kerala). Annie (Amy Jackson) is teacher at school and she has a crush on Joseph. All is well till a small accident leads to a series of events thereby we get to know about Joseph's past. He is Vijaykumar IPS an upright police officer who locks horn with a local politician (Mahendran) whose son commits a heinous crime. On the downside, Theri is exaggerated and formulaic, but relies squarely on the charm of its leading man to pull off its over-the-top tone. But that's all part of the design. Atlee has borrowed the plot and inevitably comparisons can be drawn with Vijaykanth's 1990 hit Chatriyan. Vijay's scorching screen- presence and his infectious energy is the highlight. Nainika is super cute. Samantha in a clichéd role as Vijay's lover and wife who gets killed gets her fair share of screen time. But same cannot be said about Amy who not only looks uncomfortable in that funny wig but has nothing much to do. Mahendran is classy while Radhika Sarathkumar as the super cool mom is impressive. Technically George C. Williams camera is good and Ruben's editing is sharp. GV Prakash scores with his 50th album especially bgm is really good , as all the songs are hummable while our pick is En Jeevan which is melodious. On the whole, Theri is strictly escapist fun satisfying Vijay masala entertainer. Verdict : A Must Watch Masala Entertainer
