Story - 8/10
pros: interesting concept, witty dialogue, and fun characters for the most part.
cons: it's an unusual concept but falls into some YA genre related cliches briefly.
Cast - 8/10
pros: Flynn and Telles share a clear chemistry on set. It's easy to fall in love with them as a couple. Telles in particular exudes charisma and charm, while providing some strong subtly during the more dramatic moments of her journey. Scolari and Mumolo provide nice comic relief as bickering parents dealing with a son that continually accidentally kills people in their small town.
cons: some of the side characters feel a little under developed.
Direction - 7.5/10
pros: Moore creates an unusual world with a lot of originality. He garners very strong performances from his two leads and orchestrates a couple very dynamic sequences, namely toward the end of the film.
cons: feels like at times there is some hesitation from the first time director to commit to a joke, but then at other times maybe he doesn't show enough restraint.
Pace - 6/10
pros: the story proceeds at a very fast easy viewing pace, you never check your watch to see how much time is left.
cons: maybe it moves too fast at certain times. Seems like some characters or moments got glossed over or rushed through. not sure if that is a script issue or the filmmakers didn't always accomplish what they wanted but taking points off here.
Atmosphere - 8/10
pros: the world is pretty fun. the sets and decor have a great sense of whimsicality to them but at the same time feel genuine to the world they are in. The costumes accent the sets while sharing in that "Blegh" blahnes humor of the world. The camera work and framing seems to always have a purpose and interesting look to them while adding to the joke or emotion of the moment. The musical score slides by in the background creating a fun feel while also stepping up to hammer down an emotion in the more dramatic moments of the story.
cons: a couple locations didn't seem to serve much purpose in the story
Overall Score 7 out of 10, very enjoyable watch and would recommend but not a classic.
