4Minutes (Sultrier Version)

Looped Lives

This was clever and I loved it. When I saw that Sammon was the screenwriter I knew I'd like it and I really liked it!

Bible's acting has improved so much. His character (Great) was flawed and he was able to convey that so well. His reaction to his 'gift' was the same as anyone's would be: what's going on? The concept - of seeing the future- has been explored before, but this was different and not just because it's BL. The clever little twists and turns in this meant that sometimes I was uncertain about whether we were in real time or future time.

I've never seen Jes (Tyme) before and was impressed by his acting and character's introverted behaviour, which hid a backbone of steel.

The biggest surprise for me was Bas. I've seen him in other shows and his character has been very different each time. This was a mature, selfish, ambitious character with lots of secrets. They were great secrets!

What I liked: good portrayal of complex, flawed characters; how the story unfolded, but I had to pay attention to everything.
What I didn't like: it was confusing at times, but it meant I had to really think about what I was watching. Not a complaint, but an observation.

The ending was interesting - was it reality or part of the 4 minute future?

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Perfect production but messy story

This BL was highly anticipated by many. BOC, Bible, Jes. This is a potentially golden combination. And it started off just as promising. Many different storylines that we could see were related, but how exactly was a big question. A lot of questions got answered from around ep. 4. but a lot still remained obscure. What exactly did these 4 minutes mean? and what was real? Because apparently some events were fictional? Ep. 5 and 6 gave us answers. But for me, those were not really the ones we were looking for and even more questions were raised. Who died? And if they did, who killed them? Tha last two eps. wrapped it all up. But not in a neat little package and we are still left with why's how's and who's. Should we have seen some bigger picture? I did not find it if it was there.

Overall the acting is superb, as is the production. Perfect lighting.coloring and stages. Big love here. As for the other parts of the show, like consistency, story, music.... theres still some to be desired. It felt like there were parts of the story missing. Not as much essential parts, but still important "setting the scene" parts. We are thrown into one scene after another and are left to our own devices to connect them all. Which coukld have worked out great, but I still felt like we were looking at an unfinished product.

Maybe it was my expectations that were too high, or maybe it was BOC's ambitions that were too high?

I did also spot some references to KinnPorsche. More subtle, like in some shots, but also very in your face like the song "Why Don't You Stay" by Jeff Satur (but here not sung by Jeff Satur).

I will rewatch this at some point and maybe then I will adjust my review.

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Omg

The quality of this production is excellent! Everything is clicking: OST, acting, and intimate scenes. The visuals flow with a professional quality. I'm watching the "sultier" version. In episode one the scene with Korn was hot! On a more personal level...KinnPorcshe escalated the type of sex scenes portrayed in bl series and I think 4 minutes will do the same. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the explicit nature of Korn's scene and the passion portrayed. But, at what level does bl cross over into pornography? Is it pornography with an actual plot, great acting and human emotions or is it an explicit bl on a different level? Just asking? I'm still enjoying it and am definitely watching the rest of this series.

After completion:
The production was significantly superior to many bl's. The cinematography, the acting, the music...everything. The only negative was the time skipping. That really got confusing. It felt like the story didn't completely flesh out. I think if I rewatch it I'll probably pull more of the subtle elements of the story together better. Bible and Jes as a couple was a definite winner. I'll always be disappointed that Build was treated so badly and had his career ruined by that mental shank he dated. BOC, however, recovered the pairing with Bible and Jes. Bible seems like an awesome person and I hope the very best for his future. (Had to throw my 2 cents in about the whole Build fiasco.). As I stated, I'll wait a couple weeks then binge watch "4Minutes" again. I definitely think I'll enjoy it more since I know the overall story of the script now.

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yeah, that's what i thought you'd do [slightly derogatory]

I came into this show knowing I loved about half the creatives and hated about half the creatives, so it was always going to be a best-of-times-worst-of-times situation for me. I was, honestly, pleasantly surprised where we ended up! High production values and an interesting concept will get you quite far, and 4Minutes had both in spades--plenty enough to cover some fumbling of plot lines and moderately lackluster romance. Though I think in the end I enjoyed the concept of this series more than the actual series itself, I am going to send out tweets telling me "when it's finished" friends to pick up... so. I guess they got me there!

-The Full Review-

STORY:
Sammon, Sammon, Sammon... It's always the same shit with you, isn't it? Women bleeding from their pregnancy-related-illnesses, a solid attempt at "medical accuracy." awkward/stiff romance in all the strangest places, and an ending that never quite manages to kill enough of it's darlings to stick the landing. And illegal casinos, now, I guess? I'm being rude.
I think 4Minutes is actually quite a bit stronger than Dead Friend Forever and tighter than Manner of Death. While the ending still dragged, I think there was an attempt to really bring all the pieces full circle that improved the quality of the series overall. I loved the concept a lot, and felt that there was a reasonably good use of the 4Minutes concept throughout the narrative, the strongest being in the earlier episodes.
That said, I think pacing and execution was quite sloppy. The first four episodes were full of intrigue and suspense. but the later episodes didn't keep pace conceptually as the action sped up. The 4Minutes touchstones were lost to a lot of montage and time skips that made it difficult to stay invested in the time-bending narrative. I ended up feeling much more connected to the characters on the grounded timeline.

ACTING:
Well, there's no coy way to say it. I think Fuaiz and Bas stole the show entirely--but I don't think it was entirely their doing. Everyone in this show is at worst a competent actor and at best really quite an interesting performer. However, the structure of the story was much kinder to the characters in "reality," in terms of audience connection and the ability to build character.
Fuaiz and Bas had very traditional character arcs. We get an initial impression of their characters, and then slowly the plot reveals the layers of their psyche. For Fuaiz, I loved the balance of how cold and calculating he tries to be over top the much more unstable distress. The way he broke and then smoothed over the pain was heart-wrenching and won me over immediately. For Bas, the struggle between his responsibilities was not quite so intriguing to me... until it built to breaking point in the final episode. Really beautifully raw emotion coming through with very little dialogue.
For Jes and Bible... I was less impressed. I was surprised, because I loved Bible as Vegas. But the shift between Great's 4Minutes ideal reality, reality as we know it, Tyme's 4Minutes reality, and the new normal... really lost their characters along the way and the romance with it. They felt less dimensional and less stable as characters over time, not more real. The performances in any given moment were solid, but they didn't add up to a coherent character. It was... a little flat.
For the stand out ensemble I am going to take a minute to once again bitch that Be On Cloud is absolutely Wasting Jet by using him in these one-dimensional villain characters. I watched all of the Hidden Character and I fell absolutely in love with rendition of Porsche and I want to see that actor again. Stop punishing him for a bad choice in partner a year ago and give him something to work with!

PRODUCTION:
Gorgeous, as always, though not quite on par with Kinnporsche. I think the stand out moments of this series were the moments when reality and the 4Minute experience begin to blend. The snatches of spot-the-difference were beautifully chosen and very alluring. Unfortunately, some of the other shots got a little muddled and confusing--some of the darkness too dark and unstructured to be clear, some of the effects in the dream scene nauseating, and some of the choices a bit cute for the kind of production they were having. These weren't overly offensive though.
The only two choices I really disliked were the stupid stuffed animals (no one should take GMMTV's lead in shoving blatant merch opportunities into their series) and the use of Why Don't You Stay. Leave what is special to each production where it is. You've gone above and beyond to differentiate this from Kinnporsche and separate the cast from what they were in that series.... the cover was a misstep (and quite poorly sung).

INTIMACY:
Ok. The NC scenes were realistic and artistic. I enjoyed the way we were introduced to characters and their personalities through their sex scenes! I think there was clear purpose and choice for the degree of explicitness these scenes were shot with and I think they really pulled them off well in that regard. I hope that, despite Pond seemingly awarding himself the title intimacy director with no training, these shoots were a positive experience for the cast.
That said,,, They weren't hot LOL??? That's the best way I can think to phrase my complaint. Despite such a degree of explicitness and nakedness, very few of these scenes had a good sense for chemistry and connection. The plot was clear, the choices and conflict was clear, but the connection wasn't really happening in the moment. The pacing and framing always stumbled in a way that prevented them from being great. It feels like a step backwards, if I am being honest.

In all, I knew I was going to struggle with this show and the show struggled in exactly the places I expected it to. So, if you really like Be On Clouds post-Kinnporsche work or you're a huge Sammon fan... you'll probably have a great time (no pun intended)! If you, like me, don't... I think it's still worth watching and interesting work in it's own right. I think this company is still finding it's footing and discovering it's voice. This was a pretty good attempt!

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SO Sultry-ly good!

It gets more exciting after each episode- making me finish this in one day! I love the concept that the 4 minutes are based on. It's very interesting and meaningful at same time.

What I'm impressed is how well executed this is. I was initially worried that I may get confused because of the storyline but it actually is very clear. There are lots of details being shown that helps you connect the dots very easily as long as you follow through each episode closely. It's seriously really good.

The plot twist are amazing! The acting are also very good- not cringey at all. I especially love Jes and Bible here. I also love Korn and Tonkla, despite the ending

NCs are SOOO goood- Be On Cloud really knows what it's doing! Now, what I like is how the NCs are a bonus and not the selling point. We've seen lots of BL that just gave you NC with crap story, this is NOT one of those

This is seriously so high quality on all levels. 8 episodes are perfect, anything more would be draggy, althou I'll totally take a special episode to watch more Jes and Bible!

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Another great one from Be On Cloud but this is NOT A ROMANCE.

WARNING : NO SPOILERS But some mild comments which will be separated by lines from the rest of the review.

There was no way they could have given this series a satisfactory ending if not for that one. Although it's bittersweet and a couple of threads could have been better tied up.
One thing I'd like to warn about however is, if you're looking for romance.... this is not the right show. Not that there's not any but it's honestly not the heart of the drama... though they did give some fan service here and there esp. in the final episode in spite of the lack of NC scenes (in the final episode).

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Great was never great but by the time we reached the end of this journey, he had learned to be better. I'm mostly sad for Tonkla, but he crossed a line he should never had. At least Korn redeemed himself though not by choice but because he was driven to it.

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The show was made confusing on purpose and it's one of those that it's better not to know anything about before you start, but at the same time, that confusion is probably what the character we mostly follow felt.

"Why Don't You Stay" was my favorite song in Kinnporsche so it was pretty nice to hear it sung in another voice in the final episode.
Overall a great watch. I personally don't mind NC scenes as long as there's no violence involved ( BDSM or whatever is a BIG NO), some are relatively graphic so it might have hurt some people's sensitivities but personally I watched it for the story so whether there were NC scenes or not didn't make a difference... though I do think some of the earlier scenes with Tonkla felt too gratuitious.

Honestly, I still feel a bit overwhelmed, so I don't know how to write anything coherent apart from that I loved that show from its very first minute and that it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its 8 weeks long run.
I have nothing but praise for the actors and for the whole crew who worked on this little gem which are SO SO SO RARE in Thai BLs.

Bible delivered but I was confident he'd pull it off, but Jes, Fuaiz, and Bas were nice discoveries. I'll keep on following their next projects whether they act together again or not.

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Imperfectly enjoyable

Not everything has to be top notch for you to enjoy a viewing experience. It wasn’t a perfect watch and nothing about this was truly unique or outstandingly mind-blowing, from the premise to the acting to its characters, but I have to say that this show felt unique to me from the get go. I’m can’t pinpoint it, though it may be that I’m still pretty new to BLs and Asian dramas in general, so it could be that this being more focused on a openly complicated plot, it having THAT much steam and romance not being the star of the show surprised me when compared to the other stuff that I’ve seen so far. But mostly, I felt like the people behind it had clear intentions and ideas going in, in ways making me think that, while wanting to try something new, they still didn’t do shit without a clear motive behind every shot or line of dialogue. It’s extremely admirable to me and I can honestly say there wasn’t a single second in this where I felt bored watching it. Of course this doesn’t mean that they were actually successful in making the product I KNOW they wanted to make. I do think there are a few issues that they need to fix going in into the sequel to make up for a confusing start. Before naming a few of them, I just want to be clear that by “confusing” I don’t necessarily mean the mystery behind the plot, and that I’m only critiquing the show out of genuine passion and excitement for what’s to come. What’s confusing to me is the script. I can see the ideas, I can see the potential, but then maybe the inexperience or the fact that they wouldn’t/couldn’t make this a couple more episodes long, there were moments where a scene would feel incohesive with the the previous or the next, as if they had to skip some content for them to be able to cram everything in an 8-hour long product. Mind you, I finished the last episode without feeling like I just wasted my time, so I’m sure they did the best they could with what they had. But then again, if the writing was somehow better, it would have benefited everything in here, especially with the characters. The main characters had some pretty fucked up things happening to them both in their backstories and their present, but with it being so plot-heavy and the writing having to make sure they didn’t leave anything important out, the character development itself suffered. Which leaves me feeling like they HAVE developed, but unfortunately I don’t get to see it in a satisfying way. That also means that, if the writing isn’t completely there, then the acting performance also suffers. The only case I felt where a character had a pretty much good arc is Korn, which felt pretty linear. The script did help the actor immensely with a pretty straightforward arc for him, and Bas is already a talent on his own, probably the best one out of the cast if I only have to judge from what you see in this series. That can partially be said for the actor and character of Ton Kla as well. I also KNOW Jes and Bible to be very good and expressive actors, and I did enjoy their performances, but unfortunately scenes weren’t written for them to shine and show their acting abilities.

In conclusion, yes, in a way this does feel like kind of a missed opportunity and there’s definitely some big room for improvement. But at the same time, this had remarkable photography, a pretty thrilling pacing, interesting ideas left and right and I had the best time watching, trying to guess all the possibilities and ways they story could go. I know it looks like I’m kinda bashing it, but I assure you, bullying is how I flirt. And I flirted a LOT with this BL. DEFINITELY worth a watch.

(EDIT: also, someone just reminded of the insane amount of ISDIN ads that were thrown left and right, it really did send me through the roof every time the camera sat for a few seconds on a bottle of sunscreen 😭though on a serious note, it surely aligns with my idea that unfortunately the people behind it needed the funding, so good on them if that helped with the production side of things!)

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Time well Invested

A brilliant series from the very well written story to the amazing cinematography to the exceptional acting. It perfectly combines mystery with romance and action all very cleverly put, evoking all kinds of emotions. It keeps you interested from the start till the end, making you speculate and theorise over the possibilities. The plot is so strong you really need to pay attention to all the details. It's also the reason the rewatch value in my rating is so high. I feel the second time it's gonna look like a new show.

I recommend this series only to those who enjoy a complex story with dark undertones.

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You need to be completely immersed in the story

This series hits me harder than I expected. I was completely immersed in it as if I was living it, just finished now the last episode and I don't know exactly what to feel yet. Definitely my FAVORITE thai series right now.

The plot is really cool and interesting, but you NEED to pay 100% attention all the time, it's this kinda show that have lot of little details that you may think doesn't matter but trust me, it matters!
It's different from the usual I guess. Not many people like this kinda show because may seems confused, sometimes I was confused too but in a good way of experience. The direction did a great job, I'm really impressed and completely in love with everything about 4 Minutes, the photography is so perfect. People complain about being too dark but to me that fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the series, I can understand if you think that's it's a bad point but to me it's not.

The acting of Bible was insane! I have no words to express what I felt, Bib was PERFECT as Great. In general I think the cast did a amazing job, I really felt. That guy that did Ton Kla was insanely good too, his eyes was completely on the character, he made Ton Kla so real! Spotlights on him!
Now to me that one who did Win was kinda off sometimes, feels weird. He wasn't bad but side with Ton Kla he wasn't good though.

About the chemistry, Great and Tyme was FIRE! Stunning! I loved! Definitely good partners, both was really nice on the characters. Loved everything about. Ton Kla and Win, felt so not cool but had chemistry, idk exactly what to say about them, just weird to me how Win became "close" to Ton Kla. Now about Korn and Ton Kla, yeah had chemistry too but I didn't like Korn in the beginning, he was bad but it's okay because Ton Kla is also bad and crazy and we loved it LOL
Now that dude and that girl, wasn't that random and off like some people are saying, chill guys, they're cute and just that, relax.

The ending was definitely surprised. I was expecting lot of differents endings but this yeah let me without words. I don't know how I feel yet to be honest.
This show hits really harder when youre struggling with maladaptive daydreaming, that's my case, insane, got me really drowning. That's interesting to me. Need to think a lot.

What I loved the most:
- Acting (Great, Ton Kla and Korn) was definitely on point!
- Atmosphere really deep and dark, immersive.
- Photography!!!! Cheff kiss mwah

What I didn't like:
- I felt like something is missing on the last episode but I can't say what, just have a feeling.
- Sometimes, the way that some scenes was switching was off and confuse in not a good way.
- That guy who did Ton Kla was a minor when did the sex scenes, that's definitely NOT COOL ok BOC!

Plus: They should have put this on GLOBAL Viki rakuten! Didn't get why just few country and differents streaming services...

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Strong start average finish

4Minutes actually started out great but the last 2 episodes were not impressive. There are a few unanswered questions and the final episode has a few confusing moments which don't make sense unfortunately or at least they were quite ambiguous and just leave the audience to fill the gap.

I ended up starting the sultier version and it is definitely graphic. There is partial nudity especially involving a minor (at the time of shooting) so it is good that there is a censored version as well. Watch whatever you are most comfortable with.

I rarely watch BLs but the plot summary and title were what intrigued me. I enjoy mysteries and it was definitely fun trying to decipher the clues in each episode before the clarity of the situation finally hits. So that's where it started to be less enjoyable. There are a few editing issues that didn't make sense but don't affect the plot. I was still surprised these things weren't caught.

The show really was a 9/10 for me midway so I expected a strong finish but sadly they were unable to deliver. I felt disconnected from some of the characters by the end because their actions/reactions seemed strange. And some characters don't have the chemistry we were expecting so it feels unbelievable. It is sad because they really could have done well if they covered all their bases and hadn't skipped crucial moments and elaborated things further. I feel disappointed because I had higher hopes but it is worth watching for the suspense.

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