Just back from seeing Don: The Chase Begins Again. The short version:
WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW.
Longer:
Not disappointed at all. Grinning like a kid throughout. Captures the pulpy mood of the original, heightens the realism and paradoxically also ups the fantastic elements. Farhan Akhthar, you shrewd old boy. Amitabh Bachchan was awesome in the old one, but Shah Rukh Khan in this version is utterly perfect. I can't think of another actor who would do justice to this Don like he does. Top marks to Boman Irani (as usual) and Arjun Rampal (please, can somebody 'notice' this guy — he's criminally underrated).
Superb cinematography, great music. Paced like an old Hindi flick, so it takes its time (a refreshing change from all these break-neck 2 hour rides with no plot and slick tricks). The plane sequence is worth the price of admission alone. So are Kareena Kapoor's fabulous legs. The choreography of her song is a bit frantic, but oh my god, those legs. Too bad she doesn't live long and we have to make do with Priyanka Chopra, grumblegrumble (Farhan tries to make her look sexy as she comes out of a pool wearing a swimsuit she can't even fill out, and this is the only time the director fails miserably). Meanwhile, fleeting glimpses of Isha Koppikar's arresting, sculpted Mangalorean looks (I'm biased) serve as some consolation (but don't go expecting her to go full on like in Kya Kool Hai Hum — it's a guest role, at best).
The script avoids many of the cliches of typical switched hero plots, has a bunch of nice, bloody fights and the ending…. oh, the ending! Let's just say: excellent replay value. Don't let your friends spoil it for you.
Dammit, I need to watch it again.
PS Don't tell anyone about the ending. Just. Don't. Please?