This must-see action movie just cracked Netflix's top 10 list

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RRR is Fast & Furious meets Step Brothers in the best way

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Update: A new courtroom drama just hit No.6 on Netflix — here's what you need to know

We've just ventured to a theater to see Netflix's latest win, which is — surprise — another film that proves you shouldn't shy away from subtitles. Released on Netflix on May 22, the Indian blockbuster RRR (yes, RRR) is one of those movies that comes out of nowhere to most, but has been on the tips of the tongues of movie buffs around the world.

RRR, which just came back to theaters for a very-short 2-night run (which was supposed to just be one night only) on June 1 and 2, stands for Roudram Ranam Rudhiram in its native Telugu translates to Rise, Revolt, and Revenge in English (Though, originally it was a placeholder for the director and stars names). And now it's got a good shot of getting onto our best Netflix movies list.

So, what's all the fuss about?

N.T. Rama Rao Jr. as Komaram Bheem, tied up and shirtless, in RRR

(Image credit: DVV Entertainment via Variance Films)

RRR is the latest film from Indian film director S. S. Rajamouli, whose films are classified as high fantasy. Released in March, but hard to find in the U.S. for various reasons we'll get to below, RRR is — by Rajamouli's own words — an "imaginary friendship between two superheroes."

Having just watched it, I can say that the description I had read — Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.), a pair of Indian folk heroes, fight British Colonialists in the 1920's — is one of the best ways to distill a very complicated and awesome movie. 

That might not sound like fantasy to you, but check out Netflix's RRR trailer. Jam-packed in a series of blink-and-you-miss-it moments, is a shot where Komaram Bheem is throwing a motorcycle at someone, you know, as a weapon.

As someone who's proudly seen all the Fast and Furious movies in order and loved Top Gun Maverick, RRR has been on my radar for weeks. Full of flying arrows, fire, trees thrown as weapons and tigers just itching to maul, RRR has been lauded by critics, earning an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience score of 94%.

The only asterisk for these reviews is that RRR's not exactly penetrated the market here, with only 29 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

Analysis: Netflix's RRR has one catch

A couple of friends of mine have been raving about RRR since its limited release in the U.S. began. I, unfortunately, missed the first window when local theaters in NYC were screening RRR regularly.

But I'm told that Netflix, for some reason, got the lesser version of RRR. As you'll see when you load it, Netflix has a Hindi translation of RRR, and not its original Telugu. This may be because Hindi is a more popular language, but I'm told the movie will lose a lot in translation, as its musical segments drop something in translation going from Telugu to Hindi. This is a problem because Netflix is believed to have translated the Hindi and not the original Telugu for the English subtitles. And as one friend said, "The lyrics are metal as f**k when you get a direct translation" in the theater.

Oh, and the spectacle of RRR, I was told, is best in theaters. And I can state that's correct, as the experience I had in theaters on Thursday night was one-of-a-kind. We were clapping to the beat of the music in one of the fight scenes at the movie last night, in a fantastic moment.

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Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.