section_path: Reception/Critical response
section_name: Critical response
paragraph_text: Critical response
  
  Retro received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Suriya and Pooja Hegde's performance, Subbaraj's direction and storytelling, music, action sequences and visuals, but some noted issues with the pacing.
  
  Krishna Selvaseelan of Tamil Guardian gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Subbaraj offers the audience old wine in an almost unrecognisably new bottle." Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote " Retro delivers exactly what one would expect from a Karthik Subbaraj romantic film. With stellar performances by Suriya and Pooja Hegde, the movie blends action, romance, and humor in a way that feels fresh and unique." M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 and wrote "Karthik Subbaraj's filmmaking flair, Suriya's swag and Santhosh Narayanan’s foot-tapping songs make us overlook the indulgences of the second half and the misstep of the final 15 minutes."
  
  Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Director Karthik Subbaraj has been someone who makes films that are a blend of genres, stylish and use music as a narrative tool. His latest film, Retro, starring Suriya, follows this same pattern and presents the Kollywood star in an action avatar with a streak of romanticism and sentiments." Pugazh Murugan of News Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Suriya smiles and the people smile with him. Retro is a unique mix of action, art, and soul." Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Suriya and Pooja Hegde are compelling in Karthik Subbaraj's entertaining star vehicle that is made to serve a higher purpose, even if it goes around in circles."
  
  Sushmitha Dey of Times Now gave 3/5 and wrote " Retro is a wild ride through love, loss, and lead bullets. If you’re in the mood for an emotional gangster drama with slick visuals, a killer soundtrack, and Suriya in top form, Retro is worth the ticket. It’s not just a movie, it’s a mood." Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Karthik Subbaraj makes an indulgent film where style, action and sentiment matter, but then the familiarity strikes." Sajin Shrijith of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Suriya brings the necessary pizzazz to Karthik Subbaraj's tonally mismatched film".
  
  Sakshi Post gave 2.75/5 stars and wrote "It’s a solid comeback for Suriya and a stylish, emotional ride that proves why he’s one of Tamil cinema’s top stars. Retro could be a game-changer for Suriya, reaffirming his star power and acting range." Janani K of India Today gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Suriya, Karthik's overstuffed film stumbles between eras and ideas." Rajasekar S of The Federal wrote "Suriya stuns while Pooja Hegde puts out her career-best". He further wrote that "Karthik Subbaraj subtly conveys multiple things in the mainstream format through his characters". Praising single-shot sequence including the song " Kanimaa ", he called "it's a monumental achievement".
  
  Retro received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Suriya and Pooja Hegde's performance, Subbaraj's direction and storytelling, music, action sequences and visuals, but some noted issues with the pacing.
  
  Krishna Selvaseelan of Tamil Guardian gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Subbaraj offers the audience old wine in an almost unrecognisably new bottle." Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote " Retro delivers exactly what one would expect from a Karthik Subbaraj romantic film. With stellar performances by Suriya and Pooja Hegde, the movie blends action, romance, and humor in a way that feels fresh and unique." M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 and wrote "Karthik Subbaraj's filmmaking flair, Suriya's swag and Santhosh Narayanan’s foot-tapping songs make us overlook the indulgences of the second half and the misstep of the final 15 minutes."
  
  Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Director Karthik Subbaraj has been someone who makes films that are a blend of genres, stylish and use music as a narrative tool. His latest film, Retro, starring Suriya, follows this same pattern and presents the Kollywood star in an action avatar with a streak of romanticism and sentiments." Pugazh Murugan of News Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Suriya smiles and the people smile with him. Retro is a unique mix of action, art, and soul." Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Suriya and Pooja Hegde are compelling in Karthik Subbaraj's entertaining star vehicle that is made to serve a higher purpose, even if it goes around in circles."
  
  Sushmitha Dey of Times Now gave 3/5 and wrote " Retro is a wild ride through love, loss, and lead bullets. If you’re in the mood for an emotional gangster drama with slick visuals, a killer soundtrack, and Suriya in top form, Retro is worth the ticket. It’s not just a movie, it’s a mood." Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Karthik Subbaraj makes an indulgent film where style, action and sentiment matter, but then the familiarity strikes." Sajin Shrijith of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Suriya brings the necessary pizzazz to Karthik Subbaraj's tonally mismatched film".
  
  Sakshi Post gave 2.75/5 stars and wrote "It’s a solid comeback for Suriya and a stylish, emotional ride that proves why he’s one of Tamil cinema’s top stars. Retro could be a game-changer for Suriya, reaffirming his star power and acting range." Janani K of India Today gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Suriya, Karthik's overstuffed film stumbles between eras and ideas." Rajasekar S of The Federal wrote "Suriya stuns while Pooja Hegde puts out her career-best". He further wrote that "Karthik Subbaraj subtly conveys multiple things in the mainstream format through his characters". Praising single-shot sequence including the song " Kanimaa ", he called "it's a monumental achievement".