hurudnas
Sweden
First of all, Eternal Love is a very good drama. It keeps you engaged and you’re almost never bored. You care for the characters and even if you don’t like some of the characters, others will most certainly capture your interest and heart.
The CGI is pretty awful, especially when it comes to creatures, but after a while you get used to it and you stop thinking about how fake everything looks. You start to enjoy the story for what it is instead.
The storytelling pace is close to perfect almost all the way throughout the drama, except for the ending that is extremely rushed. Major parts of the ending feels like quick fixes and you don’t get a chance to really grasp what’s happening emotionally. For me the ending was to 90% a disappointment.
I also think that the main characters Ye Hua and Su Su/Bai Qian can be rather dull at times and boring to watch. The actors were great and most of the time their story was entertaining enough, but not enough to make my heart beat for them or care.
I know that Ye Hua is a good person, I liked him to some extent, but some scenes when he tries to be intimate med with Bai Qian I think he’s bordering to rape or at least sexual abuse. She tries to leave, he holds her against her will, kisses her even though she tries to stop him and looks incredibly uncomfortable and so on. Some scenes when they’re in bed are the same, he’s very pushy and persuades her to be more intimate with him.
The evil antagonists in the drama are very square, predictable and lack real personalities. It’s okay though because their sole purpose is to make life hard for the “real characters”, but it would’ve been nice if they were at least a little bit interesting.
With all of that said, for me the drama was good. I watched it mostly because of some of the side characters and the story itself, and that was enough to keep me interested to the end. It’s definitely worth a watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
Everything from the dialogue to the cinematography was perfectly executed.
The use of silence truly brought out the character's emotions and took it to a whole other level. Sometimes less is more when it comes to dialogues, especially in a movie like this.
Han Ji Min is amazing in this movie and makes Miss Baek feel like a complete and real person. You can really feel her pain. Her character is very believable which is extremely important when dealing with such a dark and hard subject.
The rest of the cast also did a great job, especially the child actress. Your heart will break when watching her. To know that these things actually do happen in real life is sickening, but that's also why books and movies like these are so important! We can't close our eyes when it comes to child abuse.
If you want to watch a great movie that will move you to tears you should definitely watch this!
Was this review helpful to you?
A sweet slow burn romance between an older woman and younger man
The Rational Life is easy and enjoyable to watch, but is probably catered towards a more mature audience since it tackles subjects like what it's like being a career driven single woman in her thirties, family struggles and office politics. Even though the subjects might sound heavy the drama overall feels very light.The female lead Shen Ruo Xin is a very ambitious, intelligent and capable woman in her thirties. She knows what she wants in life and never stops working towards her goals. When she meets the male lead Qi Xiao he takes out other sides in her and around him she feels comfortable to just be herself. Together they face a lot of struggles and growth at work, but also in their private lives.
They create a very strong bond early on, but it takes time for their relationship to develop further. Even though the main characters has an age difference of 12 years in the drama their romance doesn't feel awkward or forced thanks to the actor's amazing performances. Since the drama is a bit longer the slow burn romance and pacing actually suits it. My biggest complaint would be that it lacks passion so by the time they do start dating it isn't as satisfying as one might wish.
I've seen a lot of people call this drama realistic, but I don't agree with that. While it is inspirational with such a strong female lead it also annoys me that so many dramas either make their female lead clumsy and naive or they make her overly rational, capable and smart to the point of perfection.
I long for a capable career driven female lead that is great at her job but without feeling like she can't do anything wrong, always knows the right thing to say and do in every single situation, always has the best suggestions and ideas. I'm tired of it always being one extreme or the other. You can be a strong empowered smart woman that's great at your job without it being potrayed in such an unrealistic way.
Exaggerations, extremes and stereotypes in dramas are okay, but I think that in a drama that almost feels like a Slice of Life that tackles real issues in society the character's should feel more human and real. Other than that I do like her character a lot and she's one of the most enjoyable parts of the show.
Shen Ruo Xin's mom is very controlling and overbearing, but I don't mind that since it's actually something that many people go through with their parents. What I do mind though is that a lot of her reactions felt very unnatural. Her character felt very inconsistent and some scenes almost felt like theatrics rather than acting. I thought that the family aspect of the drama was nice and created a great balance with the work and romance related ones, so the inconsistency in the mother's behaviour threw me off sometimes.
All in all this is a very sweet drama, one of the better age gap dramas out there in my opinion. I even enjoyed the work place related plotlines which says a lot.
Was this review helpful to you?
Just your usual gangster film, but worth it for the romance
Gatao: The Last Stray is a Taiwanese action-romance film directed by Jui-Chih Chiang and starring Rexen Cheng (The Victims' Game) and Nikki Hsieh (Meet Me @ 1006).In many ways it's just another predictable gangster film, but the romance and great chemistry between the leads makes up for where the rest of the film is lacking.
It's worth watching this for the romance alone in my opinion, it's very sweet. The chemistry feels very natural and convincing and it makes the rest of the film bearable, even nice to watch.
The plot itself is very predicable and easy to follow, in many ways it lacks depth and could've used a more interesting and dark approach. The fights were underwhelming and unrealistic which took away the feeling of true danger for the viewer. I also think that the ending could've been more emotional to feel more satisfactory.
I recommend you to watch this without any expectations like I did. If you're after a good gangster flick then you should probably look elsewhere.
Was this review helpful to you?
A worthy remake
Blind Witness is the Japanese remake of the Korean movie "Blind". For those of you who enjoyed the original movie or the Chinese remake, I can recommend this one!Although it's not even close to as good as the original it's still an enjoyable movie that feels like it's own thing instead of just another remake. The way the movie introduces the main character and her backstory creates a very good base for the rest of the story.
It’s always hard to make relatable characters that feels real in a thriller movie due to the nature of the genre and the limited time, but the characters in Blind Witness are definitely likeable enough. Be warned though that, as with many thrillers, the characters will make frustrating decisions at times.
Even though some scenes felt a bit underwhelming and left me disappointed, Blind Witness still has a very nice suspenseful feeling going for it throughout the movie and is definitely worth a watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
Thrilling, haunting and beautiful
Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a much worthy Special episode and Sidequel to the original Kingdom series, and is a must watch if you enjoyed the preceding series.If you haven't yet watched the first two seasons of Kingdom I highly recommend you to do so before watching this one. The seasons only have six episodes each and are easily devoured in a day or two. Watching it will give you everything you need to enjoy this Special episode and its splendour to the fullest.
Compared to the original series this one feels even darker. Together with the beautiful cinematography and excellent storytelling the Kingdom universe truly comes alive in the most chilling way during these 90 minutes.
Jun Ji Hyun is perfect for the role as the mysterious Ashin. With a main character with very few lines she still manages to deliver Ashin to the viewers in such a convincing and raw way. Jun Ji Hyun's potrayal of her makes Ashin feel less of a character in a fictional world filled with horror and monsters, but more like a real person dealing with pain and betrayal in a world filled with darkness.
There is no doubt that Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a well-written high quality production that lives up to the anticipation.
Was this review helpful to you?
But even though it has some major flaws, I kind of like it, I would be lying if I told you otherwise. So here’s some reasons why it isn’t an amazing movie, but why it’s still worth the watch.
The first half of the movie feels a bit flat in my opinion. The main character is put through these trials that are somewhat repetitive and don’t really engage you since he feels like a stranger, empty and lacking a clear personality. A problem that persists throughout the whole movie. It’s hard to care about the outcome of the judgments when you can’t really connect with the characters.
Another thing that is off putting with the trials, is the fact that they never get exciting or serious. You never feel nervous for the outcome because of how predictable and silly they are. I still, as I wrote previously, love the concept though.
In the second half of the movie you get to know all the characters a little better, better but not well enough to make them feel like 3-dimensional, full characters. Even though it’s still very predictable, you want to see how the story unfolds and if you are a crier like me, you might even cry a little. I must say though, that the comedy and the tragedy in this movie isn’t that great. They play on your emotions in the most typical ways and often fail.
What I really like about the movie is the CGI. Almost every setting and fight was nicely done, something that is rare for these kinds of movies. The great surroundings truly make the movie come alive.
So all in all, I think that they could’ve made the movie a lot better and way more interesting if they wanted to, but at the same time it is an enjoyable movie and totally worth the watch. At least if you are into things like the afterlife, reincarnation, angels and Gods. I know I am, but are you?
Just because a movie isn’t amazing or flawless, doesn’t mean it’s not worth the ride, so don’t let all the not-so-great stuff prevent you from watching this nice movie.
Was this review helpful to you?
I wouldn’t call the movie a pure horror movie, it’s more of a mystery movie with elements of horror, thriller and family. The focus is more on the family relations and a mother’s love, rather than the horror I would say.
The storytelling can be low-key at some parts, but it never gets boring or slow in any way. The way the story unfolds fits the movie perfectly.
Short summary: The movie is about a woman who is imprisoned for 25 years because of the death of her husband and the disappearance of her son. When she is released she goes back to the house where everything happened to find out the truth about that night.
The twists and turns at the end really enhanced the movie experience for me, and it also affected my ratings a lot. It’s not the most mind-blowing twists out there, but they’re still good. Some parts are quite predictable, while others came as a surprise to me.
If you like mystery movies, I recommend this one!
Was this review helpful to you?
This version is not as good as the Korean one, but it’s still a good movie with a creepy atmosphere that makes you feel engaged from the very beginning. It’s very intense from start, but unfortunately loses it towards the end.
My biggest complaints about the movie is the lack of depth and feelings in the characters. They feel very flat and emotionless, which makes you indifferent to what happens to them. The story itself gives good reason for strong emotions, especially in the main character played by Wallace Huo, so it’s such a shame that they didn’t manage to do that.
All in all, it’s an enjoyable movie, especially for those of you that like thrillers.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Your typical time-travel romcom movie with a refreshing and new feel to it.The plot was so so. A very typical “the main lead has lost herself and her way in life, but finds it again”-plot. With other words, it’s easy and nice to watch, time flies and you’re left with a good feeling inside when it ends.
Ni Ni’s acting skills was great and very believable. She’s really one of the things that makes the plot work for me.
The romance was a disappointment. Long story short, I don’t think that the main male lead or the second male lead was worth her. The main male leads feelings were very relatable, but his actions anything but okay. I can’t say more because then it would be spoilers. So let's just leave it at I didn’t like his personality at all. It all just felt off.
What made the movie sweet and a little bit different from other time-travel movies, was the relationship between the young and the old Liang Xia. I really liked to see Liang Xia find herself again, after being lost for such a long time.
I’m not a fan of the ending, but it’s okay. Some parts I really liked about the ending, so it didn’t ruin it for me.
With that said, it’s a nice, not so deep movie, that’s totally worth a watch if you need something uplifting and easy-going!
Was this review helpful to you?
Kim Yoon Seok and Joo Ji Hoon are so damn good in this movie that their characters almost feels like fully fleshed out people. Even if the story isn't that unique or surprising by itself, following the characters in their cat and mouse game still makes it exciting. It's been a long while since I've last seen a serial killer this interesting and convincing in a movie. Joo Ji Hoon's acting is phenomenal here.
This is not a movie that will keep you at the edge of your seat, but you will not be bored for even a second!
So if you ask me this movie is definitely worth a watch if you are into crime and thrillers.
Was this review helpful to you?
You never really care who lives or dies, if the wall would fall or the entire capital for that matter. Even though there’s a lot of great actors in the movie, you can’t really tell because of how lacking the movie is. There’s no real build up between the main characters and their friendship, which once again fails to make you engaged in the story. This makes all the dialogues throughout the movie oddly empty, like they’re reciting it all before filming the real deal.
A lot of scenes didn’t make any sense, especially some of the action scenes that obviously wasn’t well thought-out, but solely made to look good on the screen.
With that said, if you need a flat and easy action movie to watch a Sunday night I won’t stop you! There’s a reason why I gave the movie 4,5/10 instead of 1/10.
Was this review helpful to you?
