Many Promises, But Unkept
[As I have watched this while airing, I risk being disproportionately influenced in this review by the last two episodes in my story score, episodes which have left me needing a palate cleanser. However, unlike the show I will not use flashbacks but take it chronologically.]Memories of the Alhambra uses a brilliant premise of augmented reality gone wrong and weaves cliffhangers and shocking twists in a manner that leaves viewers hooked, especially around the middle of the series. The technology imagined is not that farfetched and it was actually fun to brainstorm with others on MDL how it could really be happening scientifically. The buildup is a bit slow but the problem that our hero has to solve is so interesting and so confounding that it makes one keep racing to know what will happen next. The romance is not a big part of the story but is rather a relief from the pretty grim realities of the situation as it is developing. The main antagonist is the game itself and it is quite good at that. What the hero grapples with is really quite unnerving and chilling to imagine.
Hyun Bin as Yoo Jin Woo is very convincing and the action scenes in which he fights multiple assassins are good stuff. His playful teasing and self-deprecating humour mix with a high intellect, arrogance and recklessness to create a pretty irresistible combination. The drama rests on his shoulders, with him singlehandedly battling both the real world and the AR world. He also excels at being uncaring, aloof, and mysterious whose rare displays of affection completely bowl Park Shin Hye. PSH as Jung Hee Joo tries to make the best out of a poorly written role. She has to cry way too much and contributes pitifully little to the plot. She is a hardworking, empathetic and very ‘normal’ girl but not quite a strong female lead everyone is more accustomed to nowadays. Chanyeol looks every bit his part as the nerdy, anxious and scared software genius but he could have been utilized better, especially towards the end. Lee Seung Jun as the loyal friend who does not know what or whom to believe is very good. Min Joo Woong leaves a lasting impression as Jin Woo’s secretary and ally (pun intended). Lee Re as the younger sister of PSH is very cute and her exchanges with our protagonist are some of the funniest bits of the series. I also enjoyed some other support characters; Choi Yang Ju as the programmer and primary aide to Jin Woo’s efforts in the game, displays a very funny and awkward crush on PSH’s virtual avatar; and Han Bo Reum as Gu Yu Ra is quite pleasing to the eye as the idiotic and unpredictable bimbo. Yet, some important support characters get surprisingly little character development. Their motivations are ill-explained and backstories are weak to non-existent. Things just happen. Se Jun is a classic example; she is ostensibly an important character but we seldom know what is really going on with her.
My favourite part of the show was after the 50% mark and it seemed set for a very exciting ending. Yet, it seemed that the writers were working with a concept that as beyond their skills to execute. So, they resorted to killing time towards the end and giving very loose explanations. There was the promise of much more story but instead, a handful of major events were narrated very slowly. There should have been much more happening. The romance had been finally coming into its own around Episode 11-12 (with a pretty good kiss scene) but it was just thrown out suddenly. So was all the humour towards the end. The original game developer’s way of planning the game was untouched and the alternate dimension thing could only have been acceptable in a drama that was not taking itself too seriously. Like the series itself, the pacing of the fight sequences was highly variable; some got it right (the train sequence was quite good) while others were implausibly slow.
This show would have been better if it did not try to integrate K Drama with an American-type show. Either it should have had half the length and followed the American model of lots of characters and lots of stuff happening across cliffhangers or it should have had the existing 16 (or more) episodes with well-written characters whom the viewer understands and cares for. As it ended, I suddenly realized we do not anything about what is happening with almost anyone in the show. We are merely aware of incidents but don’t know or care about anyone making it easy to just shrug off the drama indifferently. After all, the ending seemed as if sadistically contrived to not leave any happy feelings, and quite unreasonably at that. Unlike Nine, we do not have enough cute and happy moments, or smartly cluttered plot points placed during the series that may warrant a re-watch.
Yet, the show is quite innovative in many areas and so with the option of rapidly forwarding through torturous areas, I would recommend it as a watch. Just do not expect too much as you my feel cheated. The show is successful in using the overseas location of Granada. The production values are top-notch and I have quite enjoyed the OST.
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This one is very unusual drama, witch will take you to a great ride! Especially if you are tired from cheesy cliche romcoms! If you're here for romance, you won't get 100% of it, romance is not the principal line! If you are here for sci-fi and action, you'll definitely love it! If you're not that much of sci-fi, you'll love it too, because sci-fi in this drama is not sci-fi you usually see ( robots, aliens etc..), it's something that haven't been done before! Plus sci-fi line is blended pretty well with the other lines, so you'll get all of it in one package..
The main star of this drama is definitely Jin Woo, played by Hyun Bin! He was amazing, and carried his scenes perfectly! I didn't like him so much before, but in this drama I was smitten by him! He starts as a typical kdrama rich male lead- a little full of himself, a little jerk, but I promise, you'll change your opinion about him after a few episodes! This story is totally his story, almost to the point he was the only lead in this drama, and the others were supporting..
Can't say a lot about Park Shin Hye here - exactly because of the reasons I just said - her role wasn't strong enough like the male lead role, she was more like second to him.. We all know, she is good actress, don't think I have to mention it, it's just her character here was overshadowed by the male lead.
Chanyeol ( no one mentioned him, so I wanna say a few words) - he also didn't get much spot, his character appeared mostly in flashbacks, untill the final episodes, but what he did, he did good! He totally transformed into geeky introverted computer genius, if I didn't know him well, I would never recognize Park Chanyeol in this character! :) But ( it's one of the things I wanted to complain to the writers) I wish his character gets a little bit more important scenes, because he started as important one, but ended being the guy from the flashbacks :)
The music was beautiful, especially the 1st ost , Little Prince, and Memories Of The Alhambra, played by Spanish guitar! I won't forget the creepy scene that was accompanied by this song! :)
Overall I really liked it, it was so original, non heavy, non cheesy, suspense was on point- I never knew what is going to happen next - I really enjoyed my ride with this drama! There were many complaints about the ending - I do think it was weaker than the entire drama, but it was still good, and non cliche..
Please, at least give it a try, because if you won't , you'll miss something special!
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Incredible concept but atrocious realization
Things I liked.* Production (Animation, lighting etc.)
* Actors
Things I disliked:
* Story writing and the logic behind it
Let me start of with the idea behind the drama, which was incredible and had so much possibilities.. but how could they do it like this.
The story started off very interesting, with something new, never seen before and incredible production but they ran it down real fast after about ep5.
The series had so many logic flaws and while it's a fantasy show, you still need an incredible amount of fantasy to make sense of the story writing. The start of the main plot is streched to the max. There are more than 4 eps where nothing really happens.
I won't go into more detail, but the drama had an insane amount of logic flaws and bad writing which never really made sense.
5-6 eps are really enjoyable
6-7 eps are hot garbage
the rest is a mix between these both
I'll actually watch the second season if they release it as the production value was real good but I hope they will do better explanation of the plot as you could delete half the eps to replace them with actual valuable information to make sense out of the story.
Bottom line:
Hot garbage
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So what is Alhambra exactly? It explores what happens when a guy gets involved in a game which becomes a nightmarish reality. From the moment, Hyun Bin as rich CEO Jin Woo comically dragged his heavy suitcase up the long flight of stairs of Hostal Bonita, I was in for the ride.
There's simply nothing like Alhambra in dramaland yet, and I hope it starts a genre trend. It's mainly a scifi thriller with a futuristic theme, but at its heart it's still about very human things like love, family, and friendship kdramas excel at. There's a tragic tone throughout, but there's lightness and hope amidst it all.
Finally, Hyun Bin is worth the watch alone. He is the heart and soul of this show. Jin Woo is Memories of the Alhambra. His unforgettable performance here is truly one for the books and will leave a mark in your kdrama-loving heart.
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This review may contain spoilers
I am not usually sharing my review or opinion to shows I have watched, but I cannot help myself from typing after the episode 16 of Memories of the Alhambra. At the first time I heard it will be aired in Netflix, I was hesitant to try it as I am not really a fan of sci-fi dramas. My love for Hyun Bin and Park Shin Hye as actors is the only reason why I tried it. Early episodes stirred already my interest to really finish the story (luckily by the time I watched, the finale has been aired, so I can finish it on my own time), the mysteries kept my excitement throughout the show. Then I realized that it did not involve too much love story between the two leading actors. The main point of the story is about the game and the effect of it to the lives of the characters. I admire how the story went, the plot is really interesting for me, the twists and suspense are great. For me, the story caught my whole attention that even in my time to bed, I thought of what will happen in the next episode especially during the middle part. I was really not prepared of the revelations. The flashbacks are great, you can also expect a lot of it that will make you really think and go back to what happened. But as I go on with the last 3 episodes, I already prepared myself for a sad ending, (To be honest I read articles and reviews of the ending prior to continuing episode 14, but even so I already felt it will be going to be sad even before episode 11.)
I respect how the writer want the story to end. It his/her idea as a storyteller and a masterpiece will be finished/created according to the viewpoint of an artist regardless of what the majority of the audience will think. Although it could have ended happily if Jin-woo is alive since his character (Zinu) was really the one who died, and how come that he is also a bug? Hyeong-seok, the secretary, and Prof Cha were bugs since they appear even after their death, but how about our poor Jin-woo. It could have been ended with Jin-woo returning to the real word after deleting the bugs and restarting the game, then eventually live happily ever after with Hee-Joo. Luckily, I am hopeful, as the ending revealed of possible things that can happen eventually (really hoping for season 2 :)), like the possibility that Jin-woo will return to the real world since he still visible at times in the game. I also believe that he is still alive since his body was not found unlike the three bugs. Se-Joo can help Jin-woo get out of the dungeon (dimension where he may be in, after becoming the master) since he will be now part of J-One and will be back to developing the game and he is the creator of the game to start with. Some of the assumptions can also be made like Marco was deleted by Emma maybe since he is also bug; and they cannot make Se-Joo (he is the creator anyway) accountable for the deaths since the game was reset.
The ending is really tragic, I really cried especially when Hee-Joo kept on going to the church. It was so painful and very sad that it ended that way but thankfully some scenes were given to audience to end the story at whatever they want (a happy ending of course, and I have my own ending and a season 2 in my mind already). I will not recommend this to people who loves rom-com dramas and love story and those who hate action & suspense. The romance is not the focus of this series but what we can take home from their love is that trust will bloom love, it is vital in every relationship. I think Jin-woo fell in love with Hee-Joo because of her unconditional love, that even the whole world turned him down and did not anymore believe him, there will always be Hee-Joo on his side who will take care of him, who will trust him, and will not give up on him. But if you are an open-minded person, I think you may love it too. The concept, plot and actors are great, I am giving it a 10/10. The ending is 9/10 since of course I also wanted a happy ending personally. Details like customs, props, scenes are at 8/10 (haha don't mind this, I am just keen on some things sometimes, like how come she already wore her sneakers when she rushed going outdoors). Overall it will be at 10/10.
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This review may contain spoilers
Needs a Season 2 - Best of Hyun Bin
This drama has the best Hyun Bin visuals 🔥, absolute banger of a plot, Great VFX & useless romance. Top tier underrated show. Love the ending & I have a theory about it.This drama has best Hyun Bin visuals, Great VFX, absolute banger of a plot & useless romance. Top tier underrated show that should have a Season 2.
Regarding the controversial ending, I LOVE IT & IT TOTALLY MAKES SENSE. Seju explained that only master in the game can create a place from himself to hide. So he's (Hyun Bin) hiding in real world unless someone finds him on the game which is released till level 25 only. He is above level 100 & the game is RESET.
Now imagine, Jin Woo hiding in abandoned Hostel Bonita all this time. While Heeju & Seeju both plays the game to find him(Hyun Bin) & bring him back out of the glitch. She should have been a competitive character from the beginning that teams up with Jin Woo to find her brother, the creator of the game.
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A must watch. Beautiful story telling, great locales, excellent acting. Edge of the seat drama. Hope they can keep this up. I never ever watch on air shows as my one experience was a huge dissappointment plus I hate waiting. This one is worth it. If I had any quibble, it would be about the personality of Jee Su; a female lead seems a bit lame. She seems to cry too much and though I think the intention of the writer was to show her as innocent, kind and compassionate, it was never really made clear as to what made her suddenly decide to care about him; the transition was too abruput. But their relationship is beautiful once you accept that it exists however they arrived at that state.
The fights are gorgeous, and the story wonderful. And what do I say about the always talented Mr Kim Tae Pyung?
Spoiler ahead
His portrayal of an ambitious, slightly wolfish, tough business man who is then transformed into a hunted man, consumed by his fight with NPC s that only he can see, and the wits he uses while the world refuses to understand - absolutely on point.
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I decided to delay watching the finale for a week to “emotionally prepare” myself but I never thought I would be betrayed like this??? Had I known, I would have prepared for a month. Have already watched tons and been watching kdramas for several years already, I shouldn’t be surprised and disappointed to open-ended stories anymore BUT I AM!!!???!!! So proud of Chanyeol here and my girl, Park Shin Hye, still never disappoints!
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ONE RARE theme
This drama's theme is so rare and unique.You wont find it often..Lead actors were world class.Their chemistry was worth enough to watch the whole drama.The Augmented Reality theme which they have researched on is amazing.This might be the future with Elon Musk providing the hint of Brain chips
I would love to give a 8 on 10 on this.. I am usually a miser in ratings and 8 is somewhat to the level of must watch..!!
The debate was always on how they finished the drama. I didn't find anything bad about the ending even though it could have been better..!
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Too long and lot of loose ends
Started very good. I was excited for each episode wondering what did happen in the beginning of the story but...ML had a friend that married his ex-wife. Why did she betrayed him? How does that happen and why? Then he marries a stupid woman. Even worse.
His friend seemed a bad person, Stoke the wife, winning to her and... So bad.
Those stories remained unanswered.
The FL was very beautiful and nice. But the writers thought that she could be useless and cried a lot.
The villain (was there any?) Is boring. Did all those awful things because of pride? What did his son do except cheating on his friend and tell him that in his face? What a lousy ex wife she was...
The ending? How can a game restart after correcting only some mistakes. Wasn't Marco one of them?
I don't want coherence in a Syfy story. But I want coherence in the relationships of the characters...
Flashbacks... Don't understand why some dramas are so long and use lots of unnecessary flashbacks. I think the viewers are not Stupid. Well, that may be not true since there are reviews of 1 to 10 stars...
ACTING - good
OST - Flamengo is always nice
PLOT - bad characters development and explanations
Will never REWATCH IT.
Fantastic accent by Park Shin-hye! She is great!
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The production is incredible, honestly one of the best I've ever seen. The choice of places, the direction of photography and cinematography was extremely high-quality, the music is perfectly matched with the setting, and whenever I listen to "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" on my own I shiver remembering the scenes in which this song was used, I remember the feelings, the characters, the landscapes and the infamous train scene and the sudden rain.
The actors were amazing, I loved the romance between the two main leads, even though it was a little predictable (maybe the only predictable detail about the plot).
Not gonna spoil the end, but it made me cry. I still think about it nowadays (I finished it in February), and it still makes me shed a tear.
Really a great drama overall, one of the best I've ever seen!
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Great Potential, but Disappointing Finish
I finally watched Memories of the Alhambra, but wish I hadn’t. Let’s do the good stuff first. The premise was fun, confusing, never explained properly, but fun. There were lots of really interesting scenes, especially the locations in Spain. Sets, photography, music, etc. were well done. The cast was outstanding. Hyun Bin didn’t even need his dimples to be cute and sexy. (It even had a very young Lee Jae Wook in a small role that he absolutely nailed.) The chemistry between the male and female leads was OK. , but the writer didn’t give them much room to maneuver, which brings me to my big disappointment. The writing could have been better. It started well, but fell apart in the end. Great writers have great endings. Mediocre writers don’t. They can’t sustain the emotional momentum right up until that last cathartic breath when the audience accepts “it was meant to be.” Whether the ending is sad, happy, ambiguous, or a cliffhanger, great endings feel organic. The audience understands they are appropriate in the context of the story. They don’t feel, “Huh? What the hell? Where’d my ending go to? Wait, let me rewind, I must have missed something.” The ending to MOA was flat, boring, and unsatisfactory. There were too many subplots that never made sense, no loose ends were tied, the leading actors had no emotional finish lines to cross, character arcs were tossed out the window (nobody’s character changed dramatically; they didn’t grow, learn a life-lesson, or become a better or worse person), and many viewers felt uncomfortable and confused at the end. We were hungry for a happy ending, but would have settled for a tragedy like the Christ metaphor they tried to concoct, “he sacrificed himself to save others.” (Frankly I got tired of being hit over the head with so many images of Christ on the cross. All right already, I got the message.) We could have accepted a cliffhanger where a second season was implied. But none of that happened; it just closed with a dull thud. Worse yet, they threw in all kinds of miscellaneous scenes that didn’t make sense. The F. L. meandered around so they could pad the time with flashbacks they’d already shown too often. His ex-wife’s wedding made no sense at all. It was irrelevant to the plot, the ending, or the audience. Give us meat, not a narcissistic potato in a wedding gown. And what was the director thinking, “It’s a good idea to destroy 15 good episodes by making the last one a stinker?” Meanwhile an outstanding cast has to live with the knowledge that Memories of the Alhambra had the potential to be excellent, but wasn’t.Was this review helpful to you?
