Beautifully Shot, But Lacking Spark
I’d give the first episode a solid 7 out of 10. Visually, it’s undeniably stunning—the cinematography is top-tier, the picture is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is on point. Even the acting has shown some improvement. While Zee still delivers everything with one expression and NuNew's performance occasionally feels like a school play, there's noticeable progress compared to their previous work.
That said, the plot just didn’t land for me. The fight scenes felt like they were lifted straight from a Bollywood parody, and the product placement was far too blatant. There are definitely subtler, more elegant ways to integrate branding into storytelling.
In terms of cinematography and atmosphere, it reminded me a bit of 4 Minutes—but without the same intrigue. 4 Minutes hooked you from the start; you’d rewatch it to catch hidden details and eagerly anticipate the next episode. This one felt flat in comparison. The pacing was off, and many scenes felt unnecessary. I found myself scrolling on my phone for 15 minutes and didn’t feel like I missed anything. The party scene, kiss, and friend interactions all felt especially out of place or poorly timed.
The dynamic between the leads also strongly echoes Cutie Pie. Zee once again plays the emotionally distant older character, while NuNew takes on the spoiled, sassy role. I’d love to see both actors step out of these typecast roles and take on something more refreshing and challenging.
Still, credit where it’s due—the production quality is a huge plus.
I genuinely hope Thailand continues to invest in high-quality, ambitious projects like this. There’s a lot of potential here, even if this episode didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
That said, the plot just didn’t land for me. The fight scenes felt like they were lifted straight from a Bollywood parody, and the product placement was far too blatant. There are definitely subtler, more elegant ways to integrate branding into storytelling.
In terms of cinematography and atmosphere, it reminded me a bit of 4 Minutes—but without the same intrigue. 4 Minutes hooked you from the start; you’d rewatch it to catch hidden details and eagerly anticipate the next episode. This one felt flat in comparison. The pacing was off, and many scenes felt unnecessary. I found myself scrolling on my phone for 15 minutes and didn’t feel like I missed anything. The party scene, kiss, and friend interactions all felt especially out of place or poorly timed.
The dynamic between the leads also strongly echoes Cutie Pie. Zee once again plays the emotionally distant older character, while NuNew takes on the spoiled, sassy role. I’d love to see both actors step out of these typecast roles and take on something more refreshing and challenging.
Still, credit where it’s due—the production quality is a huge plus.
I genuinely hope Thailand continues to invest in high-quality, ambitious projects like this. There’s a lot of potential here, even if this episode didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
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