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Reviews2
kieranelliott4's rating
Honestly, we all know these types of movie are produced conveyor belt fashion. They aren't usually going to surprise with twists or deep insights, and we don't mind that. It's the execution that matters - is the writing good, are the characters well rounded, and so on.
As such, in reviewing such a film, it's probably not necessary to get into the plot, which, sure, is a bit contrived, but charming enough in its premise.
But what impressed me was the genuinely decent performances and chemistry between the leads. It felt believable, was endearing, and was solid enough to carry though the plot and get you invested in the characters. That alone makes it stand out and be worth the time compared to many others of this genre.
As such, in reviewing such a film, it's probably not necessary to get into the plot, which, sure, is a bit contrived, but charming enough in its premise.
But what impressed me was the genuinely decent performances and chemistry between the leads. It felt believable, was endearing, and was solid enough to carry though the plot and get you invested in the characters. That alone makes it stand out and be worth the time compared to many others of this genre.
Oh gods, this movie was awful. I give it a middling score as it was in certain parts visually compelling and there was nothing wrong with the acting, but it was poorly edited and paced, thought it was a lot smarter than it was, and made not a lick of sense.
This seems to be a movie designed to defend itself with cries of 'it's so artistic' or 'it's not a dumb popcorn action movie', but I like slow movies, clever movies, and this was neither of those things. It's plot meanders about with cuts that make little sense, the emotion doesn't hit home, and while it is not incumbent on a movie to raise questions and then answer them (sometimes the point is there is not an answer, at least not a clear one), that's an artistic decision that needs intelligence and skill to pull off, and the movie lacked both, at least when it came to storytelling.
There's enough hope at the start for something to tie it all together into something that might be decent, I was intrigued, and I'm fine with a slow pace, but what did come together in the end was a mess without emotional impact.
Sorry if this all sounds harsh, perhaps despite my protestations to the contrary I am merely an uncultured barbarian who cannot appreciate the deep themes that were being aimed for...but I find it hard to credit the movie enough to think that. Self indulgent, it probably made sense in the writer's head as a character portrait set against a fantastical metaphorical backdrop, but on the screen the story was not compelling, the character's not given enough to work with to be interesting, the attempt to weave the settings together was clunky, and not enough was done to justify why this tale needed it.
This seems to be a movie designed to defend itself with cries of 'it's so artistic' or 'it's not a dumb popcorn action movie', but I like slow movies, clever movies, and this was neither of those things. It's plot meanders about with cuts that make little sense, the emotion doesn't hit home, and while it is not incumbent on a movie to raise questions and then answer them (sometimes the point is there is not an answer, at least not a clear one), that's an artistic decision that needs intelligence and skill to pull off, and the movie lacked both, at least when it came to storytelling.
There's enough hope at the start for something to tie it all together into something that might be decent, I was intrigued, and I'm fine with a slow pace, but what did come together in the end was a mess without emotional impact.
Sorry if this all sounds harsh, perhaps despite my protestations to the contrary I am merely an uncultured barbarian who cannot appreciate the deep themes that were being aimed for...but I find it hard to credit the movie enough to think that. Self indulgent, it probably made sense in the writer's head as a character portrait set against a fantastical metaphorical backdrop, but on the screen the story was not compelling, the character's not given enough to work with to be interesting, the attempt to weave the settings together was clunky, and not enough was done to justify why this tale needed it.