I’m Game Twitter reviews: Dulquer Salmaan fans thrilled by ‘banger’ first half but ‘let down’ by second half
Dulquer Salmaan's Malayalam Return Draws Sharply Divided Reactions on Social Media
Bharatmorningnews.com – The long-anticipated action-thriller I'm Game, helmed by Nahas Hidhayath and headlined by Dulquer Salmaan in the role of gambler Dan John, hit Malayalam theatres on Thursday after a turbulent release schedule. Originally slated for the Onam festival window, the picture was pushed aside by competing releases including Khalifa and Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, leaving fans waiting weeks longer than expected. Once the reels finally rolled, however, the reaction on X (formerly Twitter) split almost along the interval line: the first half earned enthusiastic praise, while the second half drew widespread disappointment.
A Comeback That Split the Audience
For Dulquer Salmaan, the film marks a significant return to the Malayalam industry following his 2023 Telugu-language outing King of Kotha. That gap had built considerable anticipation among his fanbase, and the initial buzz around the premiere was palpable. Yet the post-screening conversation on social media revealed a far more complicated verdict than simple celebration.
Many viewers singled out the pre-interval stretch for its kinetic energy and stylistic flair. One X user captured the prevailing sentiment with characteristic brevity:
"A fantasy thriller from Nahas Hidhayath. DQ shines as Dan John. Myskkinas Villain good. Jakes BGM elevates. Screenplay keeps us hooked from Pre-interval. A banger first half with a decent second half."
Another viewer emphasized the sheer entertainment value of the opening act, noting the seamless blend of gambling sequences with choreographed action. They described the experience as unbroken momentum, praising not only Dulquer's screen presence but also the supporting work of Antony Varghese, Mysskin, and Samyuktha Viswanathan.
"This was just fun to watch. Fast pace, lots of style and good music. The gambling and action combo actually works. Didn't feel bored for a second. Dulquer as Dan John is so cool. And Antony, Mysskin, Samyuktha all do good jobs too."
A third fan, writing with evident excitement, urged others to rush to cinemas immediately and warned against spoilers. They framed the 173-minute runtime as a "roller-coaster ride" packed with unpredictable set-pieces, while crediting the director and his team for crafting what they called a well-made fictional thriller-drama.
Where the Momentum Broke
The consensus criticism centered on the post-interval material. Several reviewers described the flashback sequences and cricket-related subplots as sluggish, emotionally flat, and structurally disconnected from the film's central premise. One user offered a measured but pointed assessment:
"#ImGame is a neat entertainer with DQ at the forefront. We first half is absolutely superb, while the second half feels a bit average. The flashback & cricket portions felt slightly laggy and couldn't quite make an emotional connection. The cameo received a thunderous response."
Another viewer acknowledged the difficulty of the premise itself, crediting both Dulquer and Nahas for keeping a volatile concept from collapsing entirely. They conceded that the fantasy elements landed convincingly in the opening act but argued the latter half grew predictable, relying on music and spectacle to paper over narrative gaps.
"Should appreciate Dulquer for taking up a challenging subject like this. It's a difficult premise to pull off, one that could have very easily gone out of hand, but @dulQuer and @NAHASKh1 manage to keep it together. The fantasy element works surprisingly well in the first half and is quite convincing. However, the second-half flashback portions feel weak and disconnected, and the storyline becomes fairly predictable. With good music and some impressive action sequences, it still makes for a decent one-time watch. P.S: Welcome back Dulquer!"
Harsher Verdicts and Technical Critique
Not every reaction was charitable. A number of X users went further, describing the second half as merely average or outright disappointing. One review faulted the dialogue writing, particularly in the first half, and judged the editing around fight sequences as underdeveloped. They rated the overall experience as a "totally one time watchable flick," singling out only the mid-section as genuinely effective.
At the far end of the spectrum, one fan assigned a score of 1.0 out of 5, calling the picture the worst they had seen that year and expressing personal sadness over what they perceived as a step down for Dulquer's craft.
"#ImGame My Review (1.0/5) Im Game is easily the worst film i watched this year really really bad. As a DQ Fan Im really sad First of all DQ why what happen to u why u accepted this movie below avg first half followed by a peak avarath second half."
A separate commenter echoed the "letdown" framing, describing an above-average opening that lost coherence after the initial thirty minutes, with rich visuals undermined by missing narrative connective tissue.
Creative Choices Under Scrutiny
One particularly pointed critique aimed at the director's use of extreme violence against women and children as an emotional shortcut. The writer argued the tactic had worked in Nahas's earlier work RDX but felt lazy and overused here, failing to generate genuine pathos in the context of I'm Game.
Cast, Crew, and Story
Beyond Dulquer Salmaan, the ensemble includes Antony Varghese, Mysskin, Kayadu Lohar, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Kathir, Vinay Forrt, and Parth Tiwari. Jakes composed the score. The narrative follows a gambler whose carefully constructed world unravels, pulling him into a spiral of fantasy-tinged consequences. At 173 minutes, the film is among the longer Malayalam releases of the season, a runtime that several reviewers felt the second half did not fully justify.
The mixed reception underscores a recurring tension in contemporary Malayalam cinema: audiences increasingly expect structural cohesion across both halves of a feature, and a film that delivers genuine excitement before the interval but drifts into formulaic territory afterward risks alienating the very fans whose enthusiasm carried it through opening week. For Dulquer Salmaan, whose star power remains a major box-office draw across South Indian languages, the question now is whether the first-half acclaim will sustain theatrical collections long enough to offset the second-half criticism, or whether the latter will define the film's legacy in fan discourse for months to come.
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