Ramayana Movie Review: Taran Adarsh Gives 5 Stars, IGN Calls It Lifeless. Here Are the 10 Most-Liked X Reviews

Ramayana: Part 1 is finally in theatres, and the internet can’t agree on it. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh gave it a perfect five stars. IGN’s critic called it lifeless. In between, X has filled up with thousands of reactions to Nitesh Tiwari’s epic, which stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Yash as Ravana and Sai Pallavi as Sita, and is releasing overseas as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.

So which Ramayana movie review should you trust? We searched X for reviews with more than 2,000 likes and picked the ten most-liked, one per account, to see what people are actually agreeing with. Below you’ll also find the film’s IMDb rating, its Rotten Tomatoes score, the runtime and the box office buzz.

The short version: Yash’s Ravana and the film’s massive scale win over almost everyone. Opinion splits on the emotional connect between Ranbir’s Rama and Sai Pallavi’s Sita, on the A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer music, and on a slower second half.

Ramayana movie review ratings at a glance

1. Taran Adarsh: 5/5, “Spectacular”

The veteran trade analyst’s review is the most-liked Ramayana post by a distance. He gave it a perfect score and called it the most magnificent thing he has seen on an Indian screen. In the longer post, he credits Nitesh Tiwari’s tight screenplay and, above all, the film’s spiritual pull. His standout moments include the Sita Swayamvar, the emotional pre-interval scene with King Dashrath, Kaikeyi and Rama, and the Ravana vs Jatayu fight on the Pushpaka Vimana. He praised Ranbir’s calm, dignified Rama and Yash’s towering Ravana. He also gave DNEG’s effects work top marks.

2. Ramesh Bala: 5/5

The film-trade tracker kept it short and loud: a monumental, once-in-a-generation theatre experience with powerhouse turns from Ranbir, Yash and Sai Pallavi. He went as far as calling it the new industry hit of Indian cinema.

3. Venky Reviews: 2.5/5

The most detailed mixed review on this list. Venky loved the opening, built around Ravana’s introduction, and found the first half decent. After that, he says, the story hops from event to event without giving the characters room, and at times it plays like a TV serial. The second half’s drawn-out action scenes wore him down, and he found the Part 1 ending unsatisfying, with the sequel still two years away. Yash is his clear highlight. Ranbir and Sai Pallavi are sincere, but the divine connect doesn’t land consistently. His biggest letdown is the Rahman and Zimmer score, which he felt sounded more like a generic superhero soundtrack than something spiritual.

4. CineHub: 5/5

The most emotional review here. CineHub puts the film in the same league as Mughal-E-Azam and says the pre-interval sequence with Dashrath, Kaikeyi and Rama left them in tears. Their big highlights are a tornado fight just after the interval and the Jatayu climax. They call it Yash’s career-best and say no current actor matches Ranbir. They also predict a two-month box-office run. (Heads-up: their full post spoils the post-credit scene, and we won’t.)

5. Christopher Kanagaraj: “Average”

Christopher’s one-line pun, calling it “Drama’yana”, sums up his take. He liked the VFX, the making, Yash’s portions and the Jatayu sequence. On the minus side he lists the music, Ranbir, the Rama and Sita emotions, flat drama and a long runtime. His final word: average.

6. Dhruwal Patel: 5/5

A neatly structured rave. Dhruwal says Tiwari treats the epic with real reverence and never lets the spectacle bury the devotion. He describes Ranbir’s Rama as calm and graceful and Yash’s Ravana as full of menace. Sai Pallavi’s Sita brings warmth, and Ravi Dubey’s Lakshman brings fire. His favourite point is that the VFX serves the faith instead of overpowering it. Verdict: a new benchmark for Indian cinema, best seen on the biggest screen you can find.

7. Manoz Kumar: 4.5/5

Manoz singles out Tiwari’s research and restraint. He says the Ravana origin opening made him wonder whether he was watching a Bollywood film or something out of the world of Avatar. He praises Ranbir’s controlled performance and the Ayodhya court scene with Dashrath and Kaikeyi. The tornado sequence and the Jatayu fight make his list too. Ravi Dubey’s Lakshman and Rakul Preet Singh’s Shurpanakha get special mentions. He’s betting on a Rs 1,500 crore worldwide run before the end of week two.

8. Telugu360: 4/5

Telugu360 watched it on a true IMAX 3D screen and calls it India’s answer to world-class cinema. The reviewer admits they doubted Yash as Ravana and says he proved them wrong. Ranbir carries Rama’s pain and innocence well, while Sai Pallavi is good but understated. The main complaint is pacing: the long Vanvaas episode and the Panchavati scenes in the second half drag. Even so, the reviewer says the film serves up a big visual moment every 20 minutes or so, and recommends it for the whole family.

9. Siddhant Adlakha (IGN): Negative

The harshest verdict among the most-liked posts came from an international critic. Writing for IGN, Siddhant calls the film a mechanical adaptation that suffers from being split into parts, and finds it dull and lifeless. The full IGN review, linked in his post, targets the clunky action, poor CGI and awkward AI lip-syncing. That puts him firmly against the crowd on the visuals, which most other reviewers on this list loved.

10. Himesh Mankad: “Indian cinema at its peak”

The film journalist calls it a perfect marriage of scale and soul. In his split of the credit, Tiwari brings the heart and devotion and producer Namit Malhotra brings production values never seen before in India. He rates the Jatayu and Ravana climax, and Lord Rama’s big moment in it, on a different level. Ranbir, Yash, Sai Pallavi and Ravi Dubey all get high praise. His tip: don’t leave before the end-credit scene.

What the Ramayana reviews agree on

• Yash’s Ravana is the MVP. Nine of the ten reviews praise him, including both mixed ones.
• The Ravana vs Jatayu climax is the scene everyone is talking about. At least six of the ten reviews single it out.
• The scale is unlike anything Indian cinema has done before. Most reviewers rave about the VFX and world-building. IGN’s Siddhant Adlakha is the big exception.
• Stay for the post-credit scene. Several reviewers say it’s worth waiting for. We’re keeping it spoiler-free.

Where they split

• Ranbir and Sai Pallavi: Taran Adarsh, Dhruwal Patel, Manoz Kumar and Himesh Mankad found Ranbir’s Rama graceful and moving. Venky Reviews and Christopher Kanagaraj felt the emotional connect between Rama and Sita never fully lands.
• The music: Most of the raves call the Rahman and Zimmer score a highlight. Venky calls it the biggest disappointment, and Christopher lists it as a drawback.
• The pacing: Venky, Telugu360 and Christopher all flag a slow second half or an overlong runtime.

Ramayana IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes score and runtime

As of the afternoon of November 5, 2026:

• IMDb rating: 8.4/10 from about 1,900 user ratings, listed as Ramayana: Rise of a Legend, with a Metascore of 63 (IMDb).
• Rotten Tomatoes score: 54% on the Tomatometer from the first 13 critic reviews. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw is among the fans, with 4/5 (Rotten Tomatoes).
• Runtime: 3 hours 15 minutes in India, where the film is rated U. The international cut runs about 2 hours 45 minutes (Sacnilk, IMDb).
• Languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam (Sacnilk).

Expect these numbers to move a lot over the weekend as more audiences and critics weigh in.

Ramayana box office: advance booking and Day 1 collection

The buzz has already turned into ticket sales. According to Sacnilk, Ramayana closed its Day 1 advance booking at Rs 42.96 crore India gross excluding blocked seats, or Rs 50.08 crore including them. It sold more than 12 lakh tickets across 26,615 shows. That beats Jawan and makes it Bollywood’s second-biggest opening-day advance booking of all time, behind only Dhurandhar 2. Sacnilk also reported that IMAX screens alone contributed nearly a quarter of the Day 1 advance gross. Official Day 1 collection figures should land on November 6, so check back for the first box office numbers.

So, should you watch Ramayana?

If you’re going for the spectacle, the most-liked reviews are close to unanimous: watch it in the biggest format you can, ideally IMAX 3D. If emotional drama matters more to you than scale, go in with your expectations in check, because that’s where the mixed reviews push back. And either way, don’t walk out when the credits start.

Seen it already? Are you with Taran Adarsh’s five stars or IGN’s thumbs down? Tell us in the comments.

How we picked these reviews

We searched X on November 5, 2026 for posts reviewing Ramayana that had more than 2,000 likes, and kept one post per account. We left out posts that weren’t reviews of the film, such as fan edits, casting arguments, and political or religious rants. Like counts were checked on the afternoon of November 5 and will keep climbing. One more thing: this list leans positive. Big trade and fan accounts dominate the most-liked posts, and most of the negative posts that crossed 2,000 likes weren’t reviews of the film.

Ramayana movie review FAQ

Is Ramayana Part 1 worth watching?
Most of the most-liked reviews on X say yes, especially for the visuals, Yash’s Ravana and the Jatayu climax. Mixed reviews flag slow pacing and a weaker emotional core.

What is Ramayana’s IMDb rating?
8.4/10 from about 1,900 ratings on release day. Early IMDb scores usually shift once more viewers vote.

What is Ramayana’s Rotten Tomatoes score?
54% from the first 13 critic reviews, under the title Ramayana: Rise of a Legend.

What rating did Taran Adarsh give Ramayana?
Five out of five. He called it spectacular.

How long is Ramayana Part 1?
3 hours 15 minutes in India. The international version runs about 2 hours 45 minutes.

Who is in the cast of Ramayana?
Ranbir Kapoor plays Lord Rama, Yash plays Ravana and Sai Pallavi plays Sita. Ravi Dubey plays Lakshman and Rakul Preet Singh plays Shurpanakha. Nitesh Tiwari directs, Namit Malhotra produces, and A.R. Rahman and Hans Zimmer composed the music.

Does Ramayana have a post-credit scene?
Yes. Several reviewers say it’s one of the film’s big surprises, so stay seated.

When is Ramayana Part 2 releasing?
According to Taran Adarsh’s review, Part 2 is set to arrive at Diwali 2028.

Sources

All like counts, ratings and box office figures were checked on November 5, 2026, and may have changed since.

• Reviews on X: Taran Adarsh, Ramesh Bala, Venky Reviews, CineHub, Christopher Kanagaraj, Dhruwal Patel, Manoz Kumar, Telugu360, Siddhant Adlakha, Himesh Mankad
• IGN: Ramayana: Rise of a Legend review by Siddhant Adlakha
• IMDb: Ramayana: Rise of a Legend (user rating, Metascore, international runtime)
• Rotten Tomatoes: Ramayana: Rise of a Legend (Tomatometer, Peter Bradshaw’s review for The Guardian)
• Sacnilk: Ramayana final Day 1 advance booking, IMAX share of Day 1 advance gross and box office, runtime and cast details