femslashedtires
usa
An interesting concept trapped in a stale formula.
I think that Kidnap suffers a lot of the same issues as 23.5 did earlier this year--Technically, this show is fine. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from watching it if they like Ohm or Leng, or think the concept looks fun. It's a perfectly watchable show with decent production value and some very cute moments. It's just.... empty. The trailer promises of tension, thrills, and complex relationships are completely buried under GMMTV's typical PG-13 Happily Ever After format, leaving Kidnap rattling around uselessly in training wheels. It's cute! But it's never allowed to be anything more than cute, leaving it deeply dissatisfying for anyone looking for something with depth. There really isn't anymore to the characters or story than what was seen in the trailer.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
This entire story feels like the emotion has been compressed to its most palatable range. Tonally, kidnapping at gunpoint and a day on the beach really don't feel.... that different? There's no sense of danger present in the action and no sense of triumph in the "hard-won" good moments, despite what a dramatic score is trying to tell me I should be feeling. Argument appears and resolves without any real struggle or personal reflection, making the characters feel flat and convenient.
I'm shelving this title after seven episodes of build up led to a (inevitable) break up that was resolved-broken again-and healed AGAIN all in one episode, without any true reflection or shift in character. It's just lazy character work. These characters don't actually stand for anything or have any depth beyond the issues directly related to their relationship. They move from place to place with no real motives or principles.... It's utterly 2-Dimensional.
ACTING:
Hm. I'm pretty unimpressed. It's fine. Ohm is very pretty and charming. Leng does a reasonably decent job conveying his characters anxieties. Ohm (the younger) is full up on younger brother cuteness. As three, they usually manage to be a pretty compelling family with a decent amount of chemistry. But there's very little connection to the dialogue. Line delivery is fairly flat and detached, even in moments of high emotion and stress.
Everyone here is suffering a little from trying to make it pretty more than trying to make it real--something I'm not sure is a fault of the actors so much as of the direction and script. I am not giving up on these actors by half, and I'm still excited for Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist. But I don't think this will go down in their eventual filmographies as their best work.
PRODUCTION:
Is there anything here that is intentional and not an attempt to sell a stuffie, t-shirt or choco pie? There is no part of the production that is work talking about. They adequately deliver the bare minimum to appear high-quality, and put all their focus on selling products over a story. There is absolutely nothing unique, inventive, or interesting in the staging of this work.
INTIMACY:
Actually, the thing that has kept me going for eight whole episodes, is OhmLeng's chemistry. I quite like it... when we are allowed to see it. Surprisingly, they are allowed to have a more adult relationship--and I don't mean NC scenes. There's a casual affection to their physical touch throughout the series that feels grown and settled. Particularly, Min's care of Q during his sleepwalking/nightmares has kept me hooked for a long time.
That said, the treatment of the actual NC scenes is laughable. OhmLeng definitely deliver in the performance, but this lazy script just slaps scenes here and there, almost without thought. We go from zero to 100 without getting to come along that emotional journey (even going so far as to just cut to undressing in the bedroom). There's no connection to the story, making them feel like fanservice despite not being overly explicit or awkward in any way. You could cut every scene and the story would remain entirely unchanged.
In all, this was a promising idea for a very fun show that was clearly just fed through the GMMTV machine. There doesn't seem to be any real passion or care in the creation of the series, just another in a line of production. And I'm done giving my time to GMMTV shows that don't want to put in the effort.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
This entire story feels like the emotion has been compressed to its most palatable range. Tonally, kidnapping at gunpoint and a day on the beach really don't feel.... that different? There's no sense of danger present in the action and no sense of triumph in the "hard-won" good moments, despite what a dramatic score is trying to tell me I should be feeling. Argument appears and resolves without any real struggle or personal reflection, making the characters feel flat and convenient.
I'm shelving this title after seven episodes of build up led to a (inevitable) break up that was resolved-broken again-and healed AGAIN all in one episode, without any true reflection or shift in character. It's just lazy character work. These characters don't actually stand for anything or have any depth beyond the issues directly related to their relationship. They move from place to place with no real motives or principles.... It's utterly 2-Dimensional.
ACTING:
Hm. I'm pretty unimpressed. It's fine. Ohm is very pretty and charming. Leng does a reasonably decent job conveying his characters anxieties. Ohm (the younger) is full up on younger brother cuteness. As three, they usually manage to be a pretty compelling family with a decent amount of chemistry. But there's very little connection to the dialogue. Line delivery is fairly flat and detached, even in moments of high emotion and stress.
Everyone here is suffering a little from trying to make it pretty more than trying to make it real--something I'm not sure is a fault of the actors so much as of the direction and script. I am not giving up on these actors by half, and I'm still excited for Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist. But I don't think this will go down in their eventual filmographies as their best work.
PRODUCTION:
Is there anything here that is intentional and not an attempt to sell a stuffie, t-shirt or choco pie? There is no part of the production that is work talking about. They adequately deliver the bare minimum to appear high-quality, and put all their focus on selling products over a story. There is absolutely nothing unique, inventive, or interesting in the staging of this work.
INTIMACY:
Actually, the thing that has kept me going for eight whole episodes, is OhmLeng's chemistry. I quite like it... when we are allowed to see it. Surprisingly, they are allowed to have a more adult relationship--and I don't mean NC scenes. There's a casual affection to their physical touch throughout the series that feels grown and settled. Particularly, Min's care of Q during his sleepwalking/nightmares has kept me hooked for a long time.
That said, the treatment of the actual NC scenes is laughable. OhmLeng definitely deliver in the performance, but this lazy script just slaps scenes here and there, almost without thought. We go from zero to 100 without getting to come along that emotional journey (even going so far as to just cut to undressing in the bedroom). There's no connection to the story, making them feel like fanservice despite not being overly explicit or awkward in any way. You could cut every scene and the story would remain entirely unchanged.
In all, this was a promising idea for a very fun show that was clearly just fed through the GMMTV machine. There doesn't seem to be any real passion or care in the creation of the series, just another in a line of production. And I'm done giving my time to GMMTV shows that don't want to put in the effort.
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