Vijay has a remarkable ability to make even standard scenes memorable thanks to his captivating presence and knack for connecting with audiences. It's these qualities that Atlee consistently utilizes in Theri, a police procedural that manages to be entertaining despite its predictable nature. Vijay responds accordingly—he appears with varied looks, fights the thugs, romances the heroine, interacts playfully with children, offers advice about parenting, promotes helmet use and quitting smoking, and even humorously portrays a dwarf for a short while! Similar to what he did in Raja Rani, Atlee draws on familiar cinematic elements (the elderly villain from Chatriyan, the metal rod used as a murder weapon from Ghajini, the large henchman who must be defeated before the hero can confront the antagonist—a trope common in 80s and 90s action films, the mother figure acting as a confidante from movies released after 2000, and the police officer leaving his job for his child’s sake inspired by Yennai Arindhaal) and, with the help of cinematographer George C Williams, presents them in vibrant colors that almost create the illusion of novelty. However, this is undeniably a formulaic film—essentially old ideas presented in an elaborate package. The story begins with scenes featuring Joseph Kuruvilla (Vijay) and his young daughter Nivi (Nainika), who acts like a typical movie child – speaking like an adult, behaving mischievously, yet remaining endearing. Annie, her teacher (Amy Jackson, portraying a Malayali character), develops a close relationship with the pair but discovers that Joseph is concealing something after an incident. Like her, we learn about his past as the courageous deputy commissioner Vijay Kumar. While investigating a rape and murder case, Vijay incurs the wrath of minister Vanamamalai (Mahendran, in a noteworthy debut). The minister then murders Vijay's mother (Radikaa, in a cheerful role) and wife, Mithra (Samantha), leaving the officer for dead. When Joseph realizes that Vanamamalai knows his true identity, he resolves to end their conflict permanently. Unlike Chimbu Deven, who prioritized making his star beloved by children in Puli, potentially overlooking his core fanbase (the younger audience), Atlee creates moments designed to appeal to every demographic—scenes between Joseph and Nivi for the kids, sequences involving Vijay's mother and Mithra for family viewers, and action-packed confrontations with various antagonists intended to excite the younger fans. He skillfully integrates these elements; whenever the film threatens to become dull, a moment worthy of whistles, a humorous line, or an emotional scene emerges to rescue it. However, Atlee’s storytelling feels drawn out. Two fight scenes are used to establish the hero's strength and kind nature, and two songs are included to portray his romance when fewer would have sufficed. Like his mentor Shankar, he also tries to address numerous social issues—rape, gang violence, child beggars—in an attempt to evoke audience sympathy. The biggest shortcoming is that the villain is made too easy a target after being built up for much of the film; consequently, the final scenes lack the impact they should have.

Source on TMDB