Retro Movie X Review: Fans Call Suriya’s Comeback ‘Painful’ To Watch And Karthik Subbaraj’s Carrer ‘Worst’ Movie

Retro, the latest romantic action drama starring Tamil actor Suriya, hit theatres today and quickly became a trending topic on X, with audiences expressing a wide range of opinions about Karthik Subbaraj’s highly anticipated film.

(Image: Youtube Still)

New Delhi: Tamil actor Suriya starrer 'Retro' hit theatres today, Thursday, 01 May 2025 and the highly anticipated action thriller has garnered widespread reactions from fans nationwide.

Upon its release, the Indian Tamil-language romantic action drama film written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, netizens took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their admiration for the film, with one calling this film 'pure cinema'.

Written and directed by Subbaraj, Retro explores the life of a gangster who attempts to lead a peaceful existence after making a promise to his wife. The cast includes Pooja Hegde in a prominent role, alongside Malayalam stars Joju George and Jayaram, and Tamil actor Karunakaran.

While expectations were high, early audience reviews present a mixed bag.

One enthusiastic fan hailed the film as a triumphant comeback for Suriya, writing, “Finally @Suriya_offl na Comeback Done & Dusted #RETRO pure Cinema A Karthik Subbaraj Padam #RetroFromToday”.

However, not all feedback was positive. Another user called Retro “Karthik Subbaraj’s career worst movie,” criticizing the screenplay while mildly praising the performances of Suriya and others. “#retro Karthik Subbaraj's career worst movie… Below avg പടം,” the user commented.

#retro

Karthik Subbaraj's career worst movie..
Jt>> retro

20 mints single shot scene um സൂര്യയുടെ perfomance um കൊള്ളാം..
Jayaram as usual കോമാളി role.. joju um വല്ല്യ മെനയില്ല..

Below avg പടം pic.twitter.com/V0T3yXbj6N

— ARB VIEWS... (@AadhiAdhit72313) May 1, 2025

A third viewer offered a lukewarm review, calling it “average” with a passable second half: “#Retro average movie… Overall one time watchable”.

#Retro average movie
Second Half okay
First Half average

Overall one time watchable
Movie making #RetroFDFS #RetroFromToday pic.twitter.com/gyXzqDeHS7

— Kutty Dragon (@kuttydragon_) May 1, 2025

Others echoed the sentiment, highlighting issues with pacing and structure. “#Retro a real slow second half… A decent watch I’d say,” another user observed.

#Retro a real slow second half could’ve trimmed so many scenes, the plot was really good but the screenplay is bad imo. A decent watch I’d say. #RetroFromToday pic.twitter.com/zOLMObt6XN

— Joshuaa (@Joshuaaaah7) May 1, 2025

An overseas viewer went so far as to label the film a “disaster,” praising only Pooja Hegde’s performance while criticizing the screenplay’s lack of clarity in tone. “Another disaster from Suriya… painful for the watchers,” read the tweet.

Retro Movie Review #RetroReview

FDFS Review from my US Friend. Another disaster from Surya. மரண மொக்கை

Positives: Pooja Hegde
Negatives: All others

Criticism: Poor screen play. Karthik Subburaj should have given the screenplay impacting, or film should have been sprinkled with… pic.twitter.com/5frbrrjyqH

— Prasanna (@DTRPrasanna) May 1, 2025

Despite the varied responses, Retro’s release has generated significant buzz, with high-octane action and a star-studded cast, the film still holds promise for fans of the genre.