Pee Nak 4 - The Wait Is Over, & The Wait for Pee Nak 5 Begins
The 4th installment in the Pee Nak franchise takes Tho Min Jun back to the countryside home of his childhood. His mother has asked him to restore the local temple, and his friends Balloon, First, and Noht travel with him. What awaits him though is, of course, complicated by a ghost and childhood promises.Mike Phontharis Chotkijsadarsopon has once more delivered a fabulous blend of horror, comedy, and gay cattiness. Once again, wholesome messages and both Buddhist folklore and beliefs are woven in beautifully.
TW: Bullying, Self-Deletion, Vengefulness, Death, Jump-scares, Ableism
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Balancing Act: Horror and Humor in Pee Nak 4
Pee Nak 4 successfully rekindles the magic of its predecessor, delivering a thrilling blend of horror and comedy. The plot, the performance and the emotions make this movie a must-watch for people who enjoyed the previous Pee Nak series. Pee Nak 4 brings together the exceptional characters of handsome Tho Min Jun (Mean), troubled Noht (Tar) and the chaotic duo Balloon (Aim) and First (James)The movie revolves around our main character Tho Min Jun who returns to his ancestral place to rebuild a temple. The task proves to be difficult as it is haunted by a malevolent ghost who is closely connected to Tho Min Jun. To put the ghost to rest, Tho Min Jun joins hands with his friends Noht, Balloon and First and what follows is a fight to survive. The movie is a series of mishaps and investigations leading to the final unraveling of the mystery behind the ghost.
The movie's visual effects are commendable, especially considering the genre. The CGI is believable and enhances the overall atmosphere. However, the editing could be smoother in certain sequences.
The dynamic between the main characters, particularly the comedic duo of Balloon and First, is a standout. Their on-screen chemistry injects much-needed humor into the often tense atmosphere. However, while the film excels in generating laughs, the horror elements could have been amplified. Some jump scares feel predictable, and the build-up to truly terrifying moments could be more pronounced.
In conclusion, the movie's blend of humor and scares, coupled with its engaging characters, makes it a worthwhile watch. Waiting for the inevitable next installment in this series
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PN 4, A SERIOUS HORROR & REFRESHING TO WATCH IN THIS FRANCHISE. And Be ready for PN 5 :)
A Good Mix of Horror + Comedy + Serious Emotional Stories + Mystery / Suspense.EVERYTHING IS BALANCED EQUALLY n RIGHT !!👌🏻
(Nothing More, Nothing Less)
Very Good, Interesting n Funny.
And it would be refreshing to watch this, out of all the movies in this Franchise, if U are looking for a Serious Horror with not much humour.
*** HORROR:
Coming to the Horror part,
This is more like a plot-driven Psychological Horror than a Horror Comedy, while the other three movies in this franchise, are pure Horror Comedies 👍🏻
There are a lot of Good Jump Scares too, for Horror Lovers!😄
The Haunting scenes here are Scary n Serious.
While in the previous 3 movies, the haunting scenes are funny n hilarious.
The horror effects, sudden jump scares, the mystery about & the suspense around the ghost, are all Good👌🏻 n depicted in this movie more, than the other 3 movies.
*** COMEDY:
Director Mike never disappoints when it comes to Comedy genre, especially when queer characters are involved! 👌🏻
As said in my previous Pee Nak Reviews:
Thai Comedies (Horror or Rom-Com), as usual, are always CHAOTIC !
(If U are aware of Thai comedies, only then, U can enjoy this.
Bcz Every Country has its OWN TONE OF COMEDY, especially Japan or Thai comedies are not for everyone 🤷🏻♀️)
The movie is Funny but mostly, the Comedy here, is subtle / subdued, compared to the other Pee Nak movies.
The humour is balanced, soft toned n under control.
Not an "over the top" comedy at all, though majority of the comedy is by queer characters, who are loud for a hilarious output usually, Oops.
Here, for the major part of the movie, the concentration is more on the development n depiction of the Serious Story n Horror than on Comedy.
Placement of that Insurance advertisement as a part of the story is funny.
*** PLOT:
The movie depicts religious rituals like "Ordaining to be a monk" n fictitious stories of mythological characters in Buddhism n are interesting to watch.
The Main story starts with Mean's character being haunted by a ghost.
The mystery about who that vengeful spirit is n the suspense of why does it haunt only him, are well maintained, till the ghost's identity is revealed along with its story.
The Ghost's story includes a beautiful emotional story of two childhood friends and a very sad Bullying track.
The Ghost when alive as a human, misunderstands n takes a Promise made by the two friends as broken by the friend. Also the bullying by everyone around adds to the emotional wound, finally making it to become a vengeful spirit n so, keeps haunting for revenge.
The Past story of Mean n Plan shows a fictitious mythological story of two Nagas (Giant snakes) protecting the village with the Precious Stones n both if them, being born together for a total of 5 births.
And the main story continues with the adventures of the team finding a solution to the haunting n warding off the Vengeful Ghost peacefully.
All these stories are interesting to watch and the Intertwining of all these stories into one main plot, is WELL WRITTEN 👌🏻
***
Cinematography is VERY GOOD.
Production, Direction n Pacing are GOOD.
Filming Locations are BEAUTIFUL.
CGI /Visuals are COOL n CLEAN.
There is an improvement in the Quality of Camera Work n Taking.
And so overall, in terms of direction, cinematography, production n editing, U can see an improvement in this movie, compared to the first 3 movies.
*** ACTORS / CHARACTERS:
The recurring characters n cast Mean, Aim, James and Tar are cool and the new characters introduced here are funny n good.
The Child artists acted very well👌🏻
It's different to see Plan in a ghost role😂
(I remember Plan only as a goofy angry bird from one of his previous dramas😂)
Here he played three roles - The bullied Human, the Vengeful Ghost n the Naga
Tar has grown up alot😄
Mean has become more handsome 🤭
Mean - Plan's bromance is Good
Aim n James are hilarious n chaotic, as usual!
Garto, Intanont n Minton are added to Aim n James' chaotic team😂
*** ENDING:
The climax - the good byes of the two friends, is emotional.
Concludes with how the two Nagas saved Mean from the ghost, making it to realise that the two friends' promise was never broken n thereby, the vengeful spirit is relieved peacefully 👌🏻
That Ending scene😯 - all scared n screaming😂, maybe a new ghost haunting has already begun, giving a hint to the next part /Sequel.
BE Ready for PEE NAK 5! 😄
***
My RATING is 8.5 / 10
*** COMPARISON OF THE MOVIES IN THIS FRANCHISE:
Can't really Rank any movie as the most or the least favourite, in this franchise.
My Rating for all 4 is the same n liked all 4 equally bcz one with more comedy, another with subtle comedy but all have serious stories.
And so ALL 4 MOVIES ARE ENTERTAINING n FUN TO WATCH!
In terms of Comedy,
PN 4 < PN 1 < PN 2 < PN 3
In terms of Story,
All have Serious Interesting Stories.
Story of PN 1 is a simple one while the other three have twists n little complicated stories.
Also, Watched this franchise long ago n remembered these as STANDALONE n UNRELATED MOVIES n need to watch all, just to know the background and the relations of the Recurring Characters.
But now when I re-watched all 4, realised that all 4 movies are RELATED, may not be a Proper n Direct SEQUEL to each other.
But One movie's storyline is taken from a scene or concept from the previous movie. That's how they are related.
For eg;
1) PN 2's main storyline "One old Monk n Buddha with Naga hood Amulet" is discussed in 1-2 scenes in PN 1 n are elaborated in PN 2 as the main story.
2) PN 3's "Past lives, stealing Golden Anklets etc" is depicted in PN 2 n are elaborated in PN 3 as the main story.
3) PN 4's Naga n Plan's character is shown in two scenes in PN 3 n are elaborated in PN 4 as the main story.
And so Need to watch all 4 movies in the same order to understand n enjoy the franchise.
Also, it's fun to watch the recurring cast n characters in the franchise😀
Actor Tar, literally grew up along with this franchise, haha 😂
***
Give a try! Especially Horror genre lovers who love to watch every type n a variety of Horror concepts👍🏻
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