Sky Force Movie Review: Battles in the Sky, Drama on the Ground!!

Akshay Kumar’s movie Sky Force has already been released on OTT. If you have watched the trailer of Sky Force, you would have got a basic idea of what the movie is about. It narrates the story of India’s first surgical strike in 1965, focusing mainly on two characters, the first played by Akshay Kumar and the second by newcomer Veer Pahadia. These days, biopics based on true events and patriotic movies are coming out in good numbers, so it’s becoming somewhat saturated, which might be a reason why you may not feel very excited about this film. When the trailer came out, many people compared it to last year’s Fighter movie, especially because both have aircraft dogfight sequences and revolve around India-Pakistan conflicts where a soldier’s plane crashes and the hero goes to rescue him.

But actually, Sky Force is quite different in many aspects and not as good in some areas, though it definitely does better in others. The story is about the Indian Air Force’s first air strike, during which a soldier goes missing in action. Finding out what happened to him, whether he is alive or not, becomes Akshay Kumar’s character’s mission. If you want the answer, you’ll have to watch the movie. I won’t spoil it, but as a review, the film’s two-hour runtime is mostly standard in the first 60 minutes, up to the interval and about 10 minutes after. You get the usual character introductions, showcasing some remarkable pilots, then the enemy attacks, and we proceed to strike back. The usual checkboxes are ticked by the film.

There’s a song sung by B Praak, so you can guess where it fits in. If the main team has about 10-12 people but the focus is on just two, the others get only a line or so, to evoke emotion when needed, often accompanied by beeps in the background and a single dialogue flashed in a flashback which I found acceptable. Overall, the movie tries to do something new at least in presentation, and some moments and scenes in the first 60 minutes definitely work well, especially when the attack begins and we follow our main characters on the ground as they try to survive. That sequence was really good. The film is kept crisp with a tight two-hour runtime, so it doesn’t let boredom settle in.

However, the downside is what I’ve already mentioned, very little character development. Many characters don’t even get a proper introduction, and the same applies to the dialogues, which feel a bit scattered. The music also feels uneven, and the VFX/CGI is somewhat inconsistent. But the main selling point of the movie, where it peaks for me, is in the last 20-30 minutes, where you actually get to see something different from earlier films. The story of a fighter pilot who has been missing for so many years and what really happened to him is explored, but honestly, the film could have given more time to this aspect. Still, keeping the film crisp and compact meant that a big moment was missed. When one fighter pilot goes missing from the group and you don’t know where he went without permission, it’s shown very suddenly.

You can guess the reason why people go missing, and it shocks you, but that shock should have been reflected more strongly through the main character, the man who promised the pilot’s wife that he would protect him. That was the first moment in the film when you find out he is missing, and the main character should have reacted more powerfully, but sadly, I did not feel that impact. Instead, we get a montage and then move straight to the next story point. The plane dogfight sequences use a lot of slow-motion to help you clearly understand what is happening, what moves the planes are making, which plane is ahead or behind, and what tactics are being used to gain advantage. It’s quite fun to watch a character using his brain and smart moves.

But if you have already seen fighter jet movies, some scenes will feel familiar and even unclear at times. In about 20-25% of the film, it is hard to tell what exactly happened, and even the pilots sitting together are hard to distinguish because of their masks. Akshay Kumar’s performance definitely impressed me, especially the moment when he shouts, “Tera baap Hindustan” it was very patriotic. On the emotional side, the film carries quite a few scenes on his shoulders, and the debutant Mr. Veer does well physically, though his expressions and dialogue delivery feel a bit rough at times. The unique and different elements come towards the end, but despite some flaws, the film manages to keep your attention throughout, blending both good and bad aspects.

When the climax arrives, I felt emotional. I won’t say much, but at least it brought out some real emotions. The VFX and CGI may not be perfect, but they get the job done. Some shots are definitely well done.The explosions are impressive. One thing I noticed about the camera work is that it moves a lot, even during dialogue scenes where everyone is standing face-to-face. The director uses a lot of circular shots, which is useful in some scenes but not everywhere. Overall, it’s a fairly short movie; the interval comes before you even realise it. Now that I have shared these points, you can decide whether or not to watch it. It will be a good way to spend your time if you don’t expect absolute perfection from the film.