I have aggregated reviews of the new movie Kites below and the news isn't good. In fact, methinks, Kites may be a stinker along the lines of Akshay Kumar's 'Chandni Chowk to China' and Hritick will have to look for other people than his Papa to send him to Hollywood.

What does Twitter say about Kites?

An example is enough: @rinisharma RT @juheeb: Kites has bullshit reviews but I still have the Guts to watch it!!:)

What do bloggers who have seen the movie think?

Over-focus on Hritick's looks.

I couldn’t understand what exactly Basu tried portraying Roshan Junior as - an optical feast or an intense lover!! Basu’s desperate attempts to present Hrithik as a modish cowboy met with the defense system of Hrithik to present a lame picture of an untidy script. Basu should have watched ‘Midnight Cowboy’ to know why a background score lifted from a cult cowboy flick doesn’t add substance to a character that wears a hat for no clear reasons.

In fact, the above blogger liked promos of the movie "Raavan" during the intermission better.

The script is so,so bad.

The story and Screenplay are very much predictable, after a ten minute runtime you get used to the Hindi-English-Spanish conversations. Director has concentrated more on extracting Performances and providing a sleek look. The scenes in the first half are stretched to maximum.

What does Taran Adarsh, a typical Bollywood reviewer think?

...its writing relies too heavily on clichés and formulaic stuff and that, frankly, throws a spanner.

Too many inspirations? Taran says,

The story bears an uncanny resemblance to K. Balachander’s EK DUUJE KE LIYE, Tony Scott’s REVENGE and Rakesh Roshan’s very own KOYLA.

What does a Paid Previewer think?
It appears both characters commit suicide in the end.

...the biggest dampener (if it can be called that) is a tragic ending. Though looking not forced upon will still leave the audience disturbed and not sure how many will have the patience to appreciate it.

A poor, indianized Bonnie and Clyde?
This blogger puts Kites in the following genre: Genre: Romance, Tragedy, Action, Thriller and Soft Porn.

He doesn't like the Director's approach.

It has no originality, except that Mr. Basu believes he has seen a lot of films, and now is an expert...Mr. Basu cannot make an unpretentious film even his very life depended on it... My guess is he has assumed himself to be an artiste, with a capital A, a master of poetry....Mr. Basu is so far-off from the truth he might as well make movies on Neptune. The thing is he is not just bad. Bad, I can digest. Michael Bay is bad. Brett Ratner is bad. Mr. Basu is that and worse.

He doesn't like the time-shifting script.

...For some reason, Mr. Basu believes a timeline-fractured script is the way to go, and it is not long before you throw up your arm

He finds the climax fight is 'inspired'

...Mr. Basu shows off his filmmaking prowess by a climatic gunfight which places the Road to Perdition shoot-out inside a Sin City frame.

His final verdict on Kites:

There is no clash of cultures, because hey, there’s no culture.

Having seen too many bad Bollywood films myself, one is forced to say, AMEN'.

Now, of course, you might know that Kites is supposed to Roshan Jr.'s entry into Hollywood and all. Rakesh Roshan got the director of "Rush Hour" series, Brett Ratner to edt a redubbed western version of Kites, which is 40 minutes shorter, without the usual Bollywood songs.
However, even the shorter version did not impress the reviewers.

The Rediff Review of Kites (foreign version) says,

(Bad Script) With less theatrics, some ruthless editing and a few tweaks to make the plot crisp and believable, it would be an enjoyable movie.

(Hamming Hritick) He's also a talented dancer, which means something here in India. In short, he should be the perfect leading man. The thing is: he overacts. A lot.

(Portrayal of American Life) ...the entire portrayal of life in the US is comical, inspired by a few too many cowboy flicks and gangster shoot-em-ups.

Note: I did not like the portrayal of the American South in 'My Name is Khan'. It was straight out of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Lesson: If you are setting your entire movie in the west, aiming for the west's acceptance, at least portray them right.

The Guardian says,

...ridiculously overripe and self-satirising dialogue, plus explanatory voiceovers and added a topless scene.

In another article, Nirpal Dhaliwal of The Guardian has this to say about Hritick's plan for the west. In fact, the west may not be won after all. Nirpal says,

...If nothing else, Roshan may be set for stardom in the Latin world

Roshan's pat spirituality is the stock response of Indian stars, but his nerves are apparent. More than any Indian actor before, he is exposing himself to a western audience that is far more critical and acerbic than the ones at home. [fawning Professional Indian reviewers, take note]

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