tor-claesson

Bridget Jones has always been a charming, chaotic mess-endearing in her flaws and hilarious in her mishaps. Unfortunately, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy seems to have forgotten what made the franchise special in the first place. What we get instead is a dull, lifeless sequel that lacks the humor, charm, and heart of its predecessors.

First, let's address the elephant in the room: Hugh Grant is back. Well, sort of. His inclusion feels more like a marketing strategy than a narrative necessity. His character awkwardly stumbles into the story, serving no real purpose other than allowing his name to grace the poster. His presence is forced, and rather than adding anything meaningful to Bridget's journey, he ends up as a distraction that doesn't fit within the already messy script.

Then there are Bridget's two children, who, rather than bringing warmth or humor to the film, end up being little more than an endurance test for the audience. Their primary traits seem to be loudness and a complete lack of relatability. Instead of charming, precocious kids, they are gratingly annoying and, unfortunately, take up way too much screen time.

On the romantic front, Mad About the Boy offers two love interests, neither of whom manage to capture the charisma or quirky appeal that fans expect from a Bridget Jones movie. The first is painfully one-dimensional, with his defining trait being his youth-he's barely an adult, and that's his whole shtick. The second is a grumpy teacher at Bridget's kids' school, and that's pretty much all there is to say about him. Neither relationship is engaging, and neither man brings the kind of chemistry that made Bridget's past romantic entanglements so enjoyable to watch.

The cast is surprisingly large, yet most of them are completely forgettable. Whatever purpose they were meant to serve, all they really accomplish is padding the runtime. By the end, I could barely remember who half of them were or why they were in the movie at all.

And then there's the comedy-or rather, the lack of it. Bridget Jones has always been about sharp, self-deprecating humor, but this film is utterly devoid of laughs. I managed to chuckle exactly once throughout the entire runtime, which is a devastating failure for a franchise that used to thrive on its wit and comedic timing.

In the end, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is a joyless, unnecessary sequel that adds nothing to the beloved character's legacy. It's bloated, unfunny, and completely devoid of the charm that once made Bridget Jones a rom-com icon. If this is the best they could come up with, maybe it's time to let Bridget retire for good.

When I watched the first season The Boys back in 2019, I felt ecstatic. It was a fresh take on the rather stale superhero genre previously dominated by Marvel and DC. It was also a remarkably smart show, based around highly relatable characters. And, yes, when the story called for it, it included some rather extreme gore. It even managed to make good satire, throwing light punches every which way without ever feeling heavy handed.

Five years and four seasons further down the line, none of the above feels true anymore. Character arcs have come and gone, leaving them as empty husks performing the same routine in scene after scene. The gore, which doesn't feel particularly exciting or surprising anymore, is everywhere for no reason whatsoever (except possibly to hide that the show runners are out of ideas). As for the political satire, there's nothing light hearted about it anymore. It's just a gross blanket of boring propaganda choking the life off an already dying show. (And that's from someone who share most of the show runners views. But that doesn't mean I enjoy being force fed.)

Unsure if I'll ever be able to finish this season. Probably not.

Have you ever wondered what The Boys would be if you kept all the gore and shocking elements, but removed all subtlety? Gen V doesn't do a great job at much, but it certainly does a good job answering that question.

Everything from script to characters and cinematography looks and feels generic. As if a child has tried to cook in a great chef's kitchen. Sure the meal includes all the ingredients you might expect; superheroes, gore, "shocking" nudity, corruption and more. But it's all just a thrown onto a platter with no finesse whatsoever, making it a terribly bland meal. Especially since you know how much better the real deal is.

All in all, the show isn't absolutely terrible. But it's definitely not a new 'The Boys'. If anything, it's more like Winx Club going NSFW.