Reviews

Action packed, high octane movie with bad ass FL.

Really loved the FL in this, especially in the action scenes. Overall I enjoyed the story and it was good but toward the end it faltered a bit and became too melodramatic. Because the film was inspired by Le Femme Nikita the action sequences were excellent and high velocity and I loved them. This is the first FL action movie I have watched from Korea and it was not a disappointmemt. I put actress Kim Ok Bin up there with Angelina Jolie as my 100% believeable female action star. My only gripe with the movie is the very last scene b/c forget the fact that he killed her father he...**** SPOLIER ALERT**** I won't say but when you watch you will understand. Like why the hell was she hesitating???

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Don't watch if you're motion sensitive

OK, starting off, I didn't know Korean dramas existed until the summer of 2020. Since then I've been hooked on Korean dramas. Since most of the dramas I've seen were truly enjoyable I thought I would give the Korean movies a try. I've seen a handful and only liked one...one out of the maybe 6 or 7 that I've seen since the summer of 2020.
Being dismayed at the majority of what I watched I went back to the dramas.

While browsing on Netflix, this came across as one of the top ten movies being watched on Netflix. When I saw 'explosive' and 'Asian action' I had to watch. I am a action movie buff and will watch anything that has 'action' in it.

When it started it warned of nudity, gore, violence, and strobe lighting. I wrinkled my forehead when I saw 'nudity'. I've never seen any Korean dramas or movies that had nudity in it. This was my first and hopefully will be my last. I don't know why there was a nudity scene in this. It didn't make any sense.

Now about the movie. You get a partial naked guy lying in a bed who have no memory of who he is and then discovers he's lying in a blood soaked bed. There was no shock value to that at all. It then cuts to a phone video of him kidnapping a doctor. That scenario gets lost immediately because it never get into what the video was about.

After that it's fight or flight and that's how it was throughout the whole movie.

Now I'm not a fan of zombie anything but I stuck it out.

The 'action' scenes were unbelievable and I don't mean that in a good way. From jumping from moving cars, moving trucks, moving buses, a moving train, and moving helicopters it becomes a hysterical laugh. There's too much of that going on. Then the helicopter scene where the ML can flip the helicopter to where he's behind another helicopter....sounds like a kid's fantasy of make believe. Plus no matter where this guy tried to run he was always found. When it comes to trying to find a fugitive in a large country it's impossible to do unless they do something stupid. This guy never got a chance to hide because he was always being found. Didn't understand how he was found in the middle of the woods either.

There's too much winding, turning, spinning...I didn't know how bad all of that motion was until I stood up. It affected me. So right now my head is swimming a little and I feel a bit nauseous. They also weren't kidding about the strobe lighting.

The part that really made me mad that I wasted 2 hours and 14 minutes was the ending. It was like this guy couldn't catch a break.

Sorry for the long winded review. It's just that Korean movies to me miss the mark a lot! I believe I'm done trying to find a good Korean movie. It's like fate: it'll never happen.

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Too Serious & Not Enough Fun

I was super excited to watch this after I saw the trailer but I wanted to watch the anime first. I should not have watched the anime first! I mean I just binged watch the first 3 seasons of one of the best animes I have ever watched and thoroughy enjoyed it. Like EVERYTHING about it! and here in lies the reason this movie is just average.

Unfortunately, it was just too much to cram into an 1 hour and 45 minutes. I did not like the changes to the storyline at all. Plus the movie just lost the levity of the anime which is one of the main reasons the anime for me is so good.

However, what the movie did extremely well was was casting. I loved the actors playing, Ichigo, Byakuya, Renji, Ishida, Chad and Tatsuki. I loved the costumes too except Ishida's. Where was the white Quincy outfit?? Too bad Inoue and Rukia didn't match what I was looking for. It sucks too that side character storylines were left out all together.

At any rate, I will say if you've never seen the anime this is an ok movie and worth at least one viewing and the CGI wasn't terrible either.

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If anyone is hyped for this movie, lower your expections and maybe skip it

I watched this at a theater after reading the first 2 volumes of the manga.
I seemed like it would be rather easy to adapt without needing expensive CGI and set pieces etc. All it needs is a good lead and usual action movie stuff like people have making for decades. Making a decent 7/10 movie out of this should be in the bag and for some reason they failed it. Feels like they spent their entire budget on getting a big name actress. Hashimoto Kanna definitely has it in her make it work but she doesn't really match the character's vibe. Nobody expects her to pull the action scenes like Keanu Reeves but this was absymal. Cuts and camera work making the heavy lifting with unnecessary CGI teleporting scenes etc.

Writing is the only thing this movie is somewhat decent at. They managed to merge first few arcs in a rather episodic manga in a sensible manner. I didn't liked the addition of the romantic subplot but that is expected at this point.

Other characters were doing okay jobs with my only complaint being the Yakuza boss constantly making dad jokes have too much screen time and he is not a very impactful character let alone the main villain. Might be another big name actor they are trying to get bang for their buck.

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Cute but Superficial

I was a bit underwhelmed by this movie and found it spread too thinly to really realise any depth. It suffered from trying to achieve too much in too little time. The film explored the familiar territory of trying to be and feel normal in a society that does not accept you as such, but without a unique angle to give it originality. The snippets of life and relationship at different stages that we were offered did not really allow me as a viewer to connect with either character and I didn’t feel much chemistry between the actors either.

The love story was sweet and cute but relied on a quirky and often hackneyed script that did not always give credibility to the emotions being expressed. There was little subtlety to be had from the direction and cinematography, which could have better utilised facial expressions and body language to convey the message and the mood instead of the bland and obvious spoken thoughts. I would strongly recommend “Old Fashion Cupcake” as a far superior watch for anyone who enjoys this type of genre and is looking for a more mature approach.

What my rating means: 6+ Some aspects of it were OK but it had serious flaws. It will pass the time but you can find something better.

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Review

Envy's original form looks just like in the manga and he looks great. They got the same actors as the first movie, I really like both of the films and there will be a third one eventually. It helps alot if you have read the manga ahead of time because that will fill in the gaps between the first movie and the second movie. The manga also fills in the gaps in the second movie as well since it compresses many volumes. The ost is forgettable to be honest, after watching the movie I can't remember anything about the music which is not good if you ask me since alotnof films have recognizable ost like Star Wars, etc. Scar looks great as well.

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Disappointing FX

LIKES:
Some of the casting is well done.
Music was suitable and didn’t over power the actors/actresses when they were speaking, but nothing stood out either.
It still has the cheesy moments like in the first movie.
I loved the panda of Lan Fan, too cute!
Costumes for the most part were accurate for the characters.

DISLIKES:
EDITING: CGI is very noticeable, same with green screen use and both are used way too much.
FX: For Armstrong, you can see where the scull cap ends, they didn’t blend the makeup well. Also the scar on SCAR is so badly done, to the point of being tacky. Some of the special effects for the alchemy (like Ed’s shafts of stone) were so badly done, they were a disaster.
DIRECTING: fight scenes could have been choreographed much better.
Also hated how/where they chose to end it. I understand that it’s a series of movies, but it should be able to stand alone too.

OVERALL:
It’s on par with the prequel movie, but I expected more in terms of graphics, FX and production considering the first film was in 2017 and it’s 2022 now. Even though I’m a fan of some of the actors, I won’t rewatch this and don’t recommend it to anyone who either watched the Fullmetal Alchemist anime or read the manga.

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If you are someone who read the title, has seen the promotional images and decided not to watch it because it you think its a Korean Fifty Shades interpretation, you are very wrong. Give this a watch. It is soo much better.

Funny, sweet and even a little cute - it is a very good movie. I'm also very impressed by the two main characters. I'm typically weary of kpop idols in dramas, and this one made me extra nervous as it had two of them in the main roles. But they are very good. I'm a fan of Seo Hyun musically, but I've never watched her in anything. I was so happily surprised.

This movie was very endearing with a good message at its heart. I'm such a sucker for a good romantic comedy and this satisfied. Highly recommended.

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Japan's first color sci-fi movie made full use of the technicolor palette. One-eyed blue starfish aliens show up on Earth causing the natives to wonder if their actions are friendly or nefarious.

Warning from Space was both complex and quaint. You cannot take the science seriously---at all, but the story does bring forth a rather frightening threat which could end all life on Earth. Unlike the earlier Godzilla, who came to town stomping and shooting his atomic breath, in Warning from Space strange starfish aliens attempted to make contact but only caused panic. Determined to communicate with the Earthlings, the Parians were able to take human form to try and find a way to convince the local Tokyo scientists of a cosmic threat. A rogue planet, Planet R was headed straight for Earth and the only way to stop it was for all of Earth's nuclear weapons to be shot at it to either change its trajectory or blow it up. A simple enough idea but the World Council had to agree to it and they were unconvinced of aliens or a rogue planet. As the sky tinted red with temperatures and radiation rising, gigantic tidal waves and flooding appearing, the World Council agreed to using nuclear weapons to stop the impending doom. By now, everyone who could had gone underground as life on the surface was starting to cook. Would the nuclear weapons save Earth?

Warning from Space's sets and scenery were lush and vibrant. Great care was taken in creating this world. The aliens were simplistic, actors in blue starfish costumes, but this was 1956 and CGI didn't exist yet. They did remind me of Maggie Simpson in her starfish winter coat, or the Gorg from the cartoon movie Home (2015). Overall, the world building was quite effective. Miniatures were used for flooding and earthquake scenes, some better than others.

There were lessons about global and galactic cooperation, the use of nuclear weapons and the dangers of even more potent weapons. Though the movie is for 7+, scenes of animals dying on the surface could be disturbing.

Like I said, you can't take the science seriously, it was the 1950's with duck and cover nuclear bomb drills in real life. With that in mind, the ending and much of the middle didn't make sense. You have to put yourself in a simpler, less informed time.

The cast was rather large so most of the characters tended to come off as dry and ill-defined but the majority of the acting filled the bill. The story lagged at times, especially when the aliens inexplicably disappeared for a bit. Even with the detractions, the question of the Earth's fate as humans hid underground dealing with the fallout of the rogue planet hurtling ever closer did give it an edge.

Warning from Space had some intriguing concepts and beautiful cinematography for a 1956 film. Certainly not for everyone, but if you enjoy old sci-fi movies, Japan's first color sci-fi might be one to try out.




8/20/22

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tbh I'm not trying to find faults, but having a lot of characters in a movie is a considerable drawback. So I can guess that several parties from different countries are involved, but why keep mixing languages making it so messed up? The mandarin team should stick to mandarin, the English peeps should just continue to stick to that, of cuz maybe because their origin is the same (??). And trying to cover the story of all those side characters while ignoring the main characters and the object of all those peeps chasing....maybe they should stick to one story. There is a limit to what you can say within a 2-hour movie, why make it so messed up? But truly the only exciting thing is the fight scene at the end, but I feel they gave me a candy and then took it away before I can taste it. If you ask me The Witch Part 1 is waaaay better than Part 2.

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got my brain twisted

I don't have much to say about the story. Didn't expect it to be such a tragedy. There were tons of hints being hinted at the beginning of the movie. I was foolish enough not to realize it lol.
Acting wise is superb especially the leads. Welĺ, the most vital thing that stood out to me beside the acting is, the twist. I honestly think without the twist, this movie is just gonna be plain. Overall, I had a good time watching this. It's not the type of movie that would be easily forgotten cause the plot twist is strong. I don't enjoy rewatching movie with unpredictable twist cause the second time you watch it, it's never gonna be the same.

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This movie is so realitic

As the one who ever had experience of long distance relationship i can relate to this movie so much 😭😭😭 the acting is so good, no need to ask for the chemistry bcs it is immaculate 🥲🫶 i love it so much. Xin yun lai really really makes my heart butterflies. And also renmin is soooooo pretttyyyyy. For those who experience the libg distance relationship will love it. But i wish they had a longers ending scene of them. I mean i want more happy scene of them without the distance. And i need more scene of the second couple 🤔 i dont know if this possible but a drama with this kind of plot will deffinetly my cup of tea, hope they remake this into drama

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catch some zzz's instead of wasting your time

Wow. Wow. So that was super boring.

Prefacing this by saying I have not watched a single one of those limitless unrequited love remakes, so this story is fresh to me. I have to say, not a great way to be introduced to the world of “unrequited love”s.

First of all, what unrequited love? I sense no angst. I feel no desperation, no longing. This movie is practically void of any emotion. I felt none of the raw feelings, the nervous excitement and the crushing experiencing of liking someone afar watching this. To me, emotion is practically necessary to the formula of a nostalgic Chinese youth movie, and My Blue Summer is missing this essential ingredient, which makes it hard to care.

The characters are so bland, they taste like sawdust. I have no idea what kind of people luo zhi and sheng huai nan are from watching this movie. Especially luo zhi, she was so inconsistent; I couldn’t tell if she was supposed to be shy or fiery, cowardly or brave. Both leads were almost as one dimensional as lee jong suk in W. The acting was mediocre, which probably contributed to the horribly boring characterization.

Maybe their chemistry will save us! Nope. I don’t know what I expected, seeing as the characters were boring and the acting was meh, but there is no chemistry. Other than a few cute domestic moments, I was left wondering exactly what led these two together and why they were even together. What do they even like about each other? Who knows. I bet they don’t even know. Acting: kind of bad, writing: even worse.

The ending was so crappy I have to laugh. They stirred up so much drama only for about 0.01% of it to get resolved. I will say part of the reason is probably because they tried to fit a drama length story into a movie (if they’re going to keep adapting dramas into movies, please. Please cut. things. out. of. the story. I haven’t watched a single movie adaptation of a drama that went well). This also lent itself to a few other issues, namely an underdeveloped plot that basically went nowhere.

If you really have an hour and forty minute to spare, I suggest you take a nap.

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The slowest 1 hour and 34 minutes of my life

As a person who rarely skips any scene while watching a movie/ drama, I can't describe how frustrating it was for me to continue watching this. It felt like time wasn't moving at all. That's how much boring it was. I decided to watch it because of the tremendous amount of good reviews it received when it first came out but I had no idea how much biased those reviews were.

It had a good plot but the execution of the story was really really really bad. It was flat and boring. Nothing exciting happens here. Rather than a movie it felt like a promotion of Chanyeol's upcoming album or something.

This movie had good actors in it but only good acting can't save a movie...

Since it's a musical, all the songs were pretty good. But to be honest, none of the songs caught my attention.

If you have a lot of free time to waste in your life or if you are willing to watch a movie-length music video instead of a story, go ahead, watch it. Otherwise save your time and watch something else.

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