section_path: Reception/Critical response
section_name: Critical response
paragraph_text: Critical response
  
  Good Bad Ugly received mixed reviews from critics, who noted that the film struggled to balance homage and storytelling.
  
  Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "On the whole, Good Bad Ugly is a big-ticket entertainer and a visual treat for Thala Ajith fans." M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "It is cinema of maximalism, often breaking the third wall, peppered with throwbacks, and with only one goal – to deliver a high every few minutes. More than mass masala, it's max masala!" Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Even if the writing is shallow, and most of the performances, except an Ajith showreel for the ages, are functional, the film is gloriously engaging."
  
  Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Adhik Ravichandran turns Good Bad Ugly into a chaotic shrine to nostalgia and heroism. It’s a party you can dance through, if you're in the mood." Bhawana Tanmayi of Moneycontrol gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The film completely lacks its main core, which is its storytelling point of view, the lack of emotional core and why we should root for the hero, and, obviously, the film consists of the never-ending slow-motion walks and gunfires. Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "GBU is a fanboy cinema, and has its right theatre moments and Easter eggs, if that's all you want to enjoy a film. GBU takes slow to find a pace in its writing. At times, it fumbles too evidently."
  
  Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote " Good Bad Ugly is what you call a 'fanboy sambavam'. If you are an ardent Ajith Kumar fan, this will be a treat for you. But, if you are expecting even a little bit of a story, you'd be in for disappointment. It's all over-the-top. Be it dialogues or the staging." Raisa Nasreen of Times Now gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Over all, Adhik deliver what they promised fans – a film which is a treat for fans but is a masterclass on good storytelling?" Goutham S of Pinkvilla wrote " Good Bad Ugly is deep in style and swag but does not tap much into the emotions of family relations, which is surely meant to favour the film for its fun nature. Additionally, the film did not present an outstanding story or profound which is apt for the rational runtime the film has."
  
  Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote " Good Bad Ugly ultimately plays out as a fanboy tribute from Adhik Ravichandran to Ajith Kumar—packed with style, action, and star power, even if it falls short on storytelling." Vishal Menon of The Hollywood Reporter India wrote, "One is unsure if it's even ethical to call Good Bad Ugly a feature film. From a safe distance, one can argue that it's the length of a regular movie and it also features a major movie star in the lead. If you want to push it, one may even argue that it has a something resembling a plot and a screenplay that holds characters and plot points in place." Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote "Adhik has taken his biggest shot, and it could possibly be the best fan service Tamil cinema has ever seen. Even when it’s far from perfect and feels like a brass-knuckle punch to our senses, Good Bad Ugly is loving work of nostalgia."
  
  Good Bad Ugly received mixed reviews from critics, who noted that the film struggled to balance homage and storytelling.
  
  Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "On the whole, Good Bad Ugly is a big-ticket entertainer and a visual treat for Thala Ajith fans." M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "It is cinema of maximalism, often breaking the third wall, peppered with throwbacks, and with only one goal – to deliver a high every few minutes. More than mass masala, it's max masala!" Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Even if the writing is shallow, and most of the performances, except an Ajith showreel for the ages, are functional, the film is gloriously engaging."
  
  Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Adhik Ravichandran turns Good Bad Ugly into a chaotic shrine to nostalgia and heroism. It’s a party you can dance through, if you're in the mood." Bhawana Tanmayi of Moneycontrol gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The film completely lacks its main core, which is its storytelling point of view, the lack of emotional core and why we should root for the hero, and, obviously, the film consists of the never-ending slow-motion walks and gunfires. Anusha Sundar of OTTPlay gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "GBU is a fanboy cinema, and has its right theatre moments and Easter eggs, if that's all you want to enjoy a film. GBU takes slow to find a pace in its writing. At times, it fumbles too evidently."
  
  Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote " Good Bad Ugly is what you call a 'fanboy sambavam'. If you are an ardent Ajith Kumar fan, this will be a treat for you. But, if you are expecting even a little bit of a story, you'd be in for disappointment. It's all over-the-top. Be it dialogues or the staging." Raisa Nasreen of Times Now gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Over all, Adhik deliver what they promised fans – a film which is a treat for fans but is a masterclass on good storytelling?" Goutham S of Pinkvilla wrote " Good Bad Ugly is deep in style and swag but does not tap much into the emotions of family relations, which is surely meant to favour the film for its fun nature. Additionally, the film did not present an outstanding story or profound which is apt for the rational runtime the film has."
  
  Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote " Good Bad Ugly ultimately plays out as a fanboy tribute from Adhik Ravichandran to Ajith Kumar—packed with style, action, and star power, even if it falls short on storytelling." Vishal Menon of The Hollywood Reporter India wrote, "One is unsure if it's even ethical to call Good Bad Ugly a feature film. From a safe distance, one can argue that it's the length of a regular movie and it also features a major movie star in the lead. If you want to push it, one may even argue that it has a something resembling a plot and a screenplay that holds characters and plot points in place." Gopinath Rajendran of The Hindu wrote "Adhik has taken his biggest shot, and it could possibly be the best fan service Tamil cinema has ever seen. Even when it’s far from perfect and feels like a brass-knuckle punch to our senses, Good Bad Ugly is loving work of nostalgia."