Toxic movie review Yash: ‘Colossal mess’ to 'decent watch’, high-octane action thriller opens to mixed reactions

Yash’s much-anticipated film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has finally reached cinemas, bringing months of anticipation to a close. Directed by Geetu Mohandas, the action drama had generated considerable buzz ahead of its release, particularly around Yash’s return to the big screen.

However, the first reactions from viewers and reviewers on X suggest that the film has not received an overwhelmingly positive response. Several early reactions have criticised its writing, editing, pacing and emotional connect, while Yash’s screen presence, the film’s visual scale and select action sequences have emerged as recurring positives.

It is important to note that these are early social media reactions and not a consensus review.

‘Chaotic writing’ and editing criticised

One user gave Toxic a rating of 1.5/5, describing it as a technically polished film that struggles because of its narrative execution.

The viewer criticised the lack of clear character introductions, the screenplay and dialogue, while also finding the editing difficult to follow. According to the reaction, Yash’s screen presence, a few individual scenes and the climax were among the limited positives.

Another review from Binged also rated the film 1.5/5, calling its nearly three-hour runtime difficult to sit through. The review questioned the film’s storytelling and said viewers could be left wondering about the purpose of the lengthy experience.

Fast-paced editing becomes a talking point

The film’s first half has also attracted criticism over its editing and large ensemble of characters.

One X user wrote that the “Too many characters & a relentless fast paced editing pattern does not allow for any emotions to connect”, while praising some of the action set pieces, particularly the circus sequence featuring Yash.

The same reaction criticised the dialogue style, particularly what the viewer described as rhyming dialogue and repeated analogies.

Another viewer was even more critical, describing the first half as difficult to watch and claiming that some people in their group walked out during the screening.

Some viewers praise Yash and the action

Not all reactions have been negative.

One viewer posting during the interval praised Yash’s screen presence and the background music, saying the actor's scenes were elevated by the BGM. The reaction also highlighted the film's action, violence and intimate moments, describing the first half as engaging and intriguing.

Another review offered a more balanced assessment, giving Toxic 2.5/5.

The viewer praised the film's visuals, production scale and Yash’s ability to command the screen. Some of the action sequences were also described as effective on the big screen.

However, the review said the writing does not consistently hold the film together, with some portions feeling uneven or stretched. The emotional connect was also described as weaker than expected, although the climax was seen as a positive.

‘A colossal mess’: Another early reaction

A separate reaction took a particularly harsh view of the film, describing it as “A colossal mess” and suggesting that the film's portrayal of its problematic protagonist could potentially make audiences reconsider similar characters in future films.

The early reactions, therefore, point towards a divided response, although criticism appears to be more prominent than praise in the first wave of posts.

For now, Yash’s performance, screen presence, action sequences, visuals and production scale are among the elements finding appreciation. Meanwhile, writing, editing, pacing, characterisation and emotional engagement are emerging as the most common points of criticism.