All over the place yet still not enough—an interesting premise that fell short of its potential
Melodramas are typically renditions of people's lives—if you will; a slice-of-life styled series with a little more spice. They tend to showcase the true originalities of their characters with pronounced character arcs, strong emotion, and heavy plotlines. At first, 'Melo Movie' is no different—it sets viewers for expectation that it’ll embody these characterizations with grand depth, originality, and a peculiar sense of artisticness, that in this case, would lay bare within its setting of a cinematographic world where two individuals who are trying to redeem themselves of their lost time meet each other before recognition. However, despite its strong start, the show’s mature feel quickly died down, leaving room for empty and whiplash-giving characters, lackluster performance in acting, and predictable plot.
When two unachieved individuals meet while in the time of their life where they are either in constant wait or pursuit for their desires—what kind of fate will their destiny bind them to? Ko Gyeom’s life is shaped by film, as it is within this realm that his dreams take flight and find breath, while Kim Mu-bi’s life revolves around the industry in the sense that her name and her father tie her down to it like a label. Together, their screen time just falls short of what could’ve been a testament to a bittersweet love story. Only the strongest sides to themselves are shared, while their vulnerable sides stay in hiding, pushed away all whilst secretly yearning to be let shine through. Romantic and swoony, its set-up and premise promised ideas that the show did not further develop, and refrained from steeping in themes that were believed to eventually be explored. What had so much potential production-wise quickly lost its grasp on the actual storyline, that winded up on the common ground of typical rom-com territory.
There are many nuances in the characters themselves that stopped the show from curating an immersive vibe. ‘Melo Movie’ felt empty as a whole in consequence to the mismatch between characters’ behaviours and the storyline. The two leads have faced tragic experiences and are yet very emotionally immature, showing only facades of their true selves to the word—Ko Gyeom, forcing himself to play an overly ecstatic role, and Kim Mu-bi an indifferent and unfazed one. It seems like they are living their lives with little effort, and yet things fall so easily into their hands. They have good friends despite not reciprocating smiles or equal amounts of attention, have grand opportunities come their way, and are constantly reluctant to take them despite it supposedly aligning with their goals. Overall, the leads have the allure of dissatisfaction with their lives which is unfitting to the genre and plays no greater role in the story. Additionally, the actors were poorly chosen and cast, and the otherwise renowned actors barely just fit into the characters’ shoes.
‘Melo Movie’ undeniably struggled to find perfect balance in its blend of rom-com and melodrama. The clash between the two genres the show embodied tore its entirety apart into something not bad enough to render it unwatchable, but certainly unmemorable. Melodramas tend to incorporate elements of slowburn, personal growth, and maturity, with elements borrowed from the slice-of-life genre. As for rom-coms, they encompass silliness, unrealistically planned reunions and set ups between characters, and are typically categorized by their overall lighthearted feel. Despite the big, evident differences between both, ‘Melo Movie’ doesn’t recognize itself in either of these categories alone—instead, it binds both together, alternately varying its penchant in genres depending on the different episodes or storylines presented. Since both ideally bring out different emotions and behaviours from the characters, to have a continuous shift between them not only alienates viewers, but also reveals a lack of depth in especially the leads.
The female lead in particular was very frustrating to watch—Kim Mu-bi fell into a constant habit of contradicting herself. Her motives remained unclear and her personality was in constant shift. Mu-bi would always push Gyeom away but became upset when he actually kept his distance or left, as if he owed her any acts of service or explanation for his leave when she had never put any effort at all into the maintenance of their strange, love-hate relationship. Even though she was bothered enough by his abrupt absence to block him from her contacts, she never thought to reach out and ask if he was alright during his leave. When he did come back, she claimed to be very angered and yet her world quickly resumed its revolving of him, and she even took on some rather unhealthily obsessive qualities.
As if there weren’t already enough neglected aspects in the series, to add to the pile of absurdities, viewers are made to believe both leads truly care and have a liking for one another despite putting no effort whatsoever into their relationship. For example, they spent five years without contact even though they had each other’s phone number and knew where to find one other. They seem to have no chemistry, no interest in each other, no problem with separation or keeping things to themselves—the only thing pulling them together is the simple, hollow, and predictable plot. Given the little actual interaction between the leads, it seems that the show’s intent was for the audience to analyze the individuals presented and their behaviours. However, the leads embody an emptiness that renders character analysis impossible to achieve. It seems fair to say the romance has undeniably missed its mark, veering the rest of the show off of course and resulting in an unwatchable mess.
2025-02-20
When two unachieved individuals meet while in the time of their life where they are either in constant wait or pursuit for their desires—what kind of fate will their destiny bind them to? Ko Gyeom’s life is shaped by film, as it is within this realm that his dreams take flight and find breath, while Kim Mu-bi’s life revolves around the industry in the sense that her name and her father tie her down to it like a label. Together, their screen time just falls short of what could’ve been a testament to a bittersweet love story. Only the strongest sides to themselves are shared, while their vulnerable sides stay in hiding, pushed away all whilst secretly yearning to be let shine through. Romantic and swoony, its set-up and premise promised ideas that the show did not further develop, and refrained from steeping in themes that were believed to eventually be explored. What had so much potential production-wise quickly lost its grasp on the actual storyline, that winded up on the common ground of typical rom-com territory.
There are many nuances in the characters themselves that stopped the show from curating an immersive vibe. ‘Melo Movie’ felt empty as a whole in consequence to the mismatch between characters’ behaviours and the storyline. The two leads have faced tragic experiences and are yet very emotionally immature, showing only facades of their true selves to the word—Ko Gyeom, forcing himself to play an overly ecstatic role, and Kim Mu-bi an indifferent and unfazed one. It seems like they are living their lives with little effort, and yet things fall so easily into their hands. They have good friends despite not reciprocating smiles or equal amounts of attention, have grand opportunities come their way, and are constantly reluctant to take them despite it supposedly aligning with their goals. Overall, the leads have the allure of dissatisfaction with their lives which is unfitting to the genre and plays no greater role in the story. Additionally, the actors were poorly chosen and cast, and the otherwise renowned actors barely just fit into the characters’ shoes.
‘Melo Movie’ undeniably struggled to find perfect balance in its blend of rom-com and melodrama. The clash between the two genres the show embodied tore its entirety apart into something not bad enough to render it unwatchable, but certainly unmemorable. Melodramas tend to incorporate elements of slowburn, personal growth, and maturity, with elements borrowed from the slice-of-life genre. As for rom-coms, they encompass silliness, unrealistically planned reunions and set ups between characters, and are typically categorized by their overall lighthearted feel. Despite the big, evident differences between both, ‘Melo Movie’ doesn’t recognize itself in either of these categories alone—instead, it binds both together, alternately varying its penchant in genres depending on the different episodes or storylines presented. Since both ideally bring out different emotions and behaviours from the characters, to have a continuous shift between them not only alienates viewers, but also reveals a lack of depth in especially the leads.
The female lead in particular was very frustrating to watch—Kim Mu-bi fell into a constant habit of contradicting herself. Her motives remained unclear and her personality was in constant shift. Mu-bi would always push Gyeom away but became upset when he actually kept his distance or left, as if he owed her any acts of service or explanation for his leave when she had never put any effort at all into the maintenance of their strange, love-hate relationship. Even though she was bothered enough by his abrupt absence to block him from her contacts, she never thought to reach out and ask if he was alright during his leave. When he did come back, she claimed to be very angered and yet her world quickly resumed its revolving of him, and she even took on some rather unhealthily obsessive qualities.
As if there weren’t already enough neglected aspects in the series, to add to the pile of absurdities, viewers are made to believe both leads truly care and have a liking for one another despite putting no effort whatsoever into their relationship. For example, they spent five years without contact even though they had each other’s phone number and knew where to find one other. They seem to have no chemistry, no interest in each other, no problem with separation or keeping things to themselves—the only thing pulling them together is the simple, hollow, and predictable plot. Given the little actual interaction between the leads, it seems that the show’s intent was for the audience to analyze the individuals presented and their behaviours. However, the leads embody an emptiness that renders character analysis impossible to achieve. It seems fair to say the romance has undeniably missed its mark, veering the rest of the show off of course and resulting in an unwatchable mess.
2025-02-20
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