This review may contain spoilers
Not *that* bad, but not *that* good either...
I admit I was a little scared to watch this movie, as many of the comments I saw talking about this criticized it saying it wasn't good and that people dropped it like a hot pocket... BUT, being a reader of the original manga and knowing of Raul from Snow Man, I decided to give it a try. TL;DR: it wasn't good, but definitely not as bad some others made it out to be, as I've seen farrrr worse before in the shoujo genre. Let me explain:STORY: If you're a fan of the genre, this will be nothing new, nor groundbreaking. If you're not a fan of the clichés and heart-pounding moments, I'd suggest you skip this one. The pacing of the story is very fast at the beginning, and then somehow towards the middle to 3/4 in, it gets a little slow and draggy. It follows the formula of a typical high school shoujo romance - ML protects the "weak" FL, both start dating, they break up for some random forced reason, and insert slow-mo chase scene with inspiring music and the FL/ML having an epiphany to tell the other person that WAIT they actually DO love them! But instead of one running scene, there's a whopping total of two. The director seemed to compile scenes from the manga that seemed a bit disjointed and forced, like one second there's a serious thing going on, and it hard cuts to the characters at the beach. There wasn't much of a solid flow or transition of the storyline, which is probably what turned a lot of viewers off.
ACTING: Raul definitely didn't suit the image of Kai for me, and same with Yoshikawa Ai for Uka. However, by the end of the film, they seemed more well-adjusted to the roles. Yoshikawa definitely outshined Raul with her acting as she was more natural in her role. The character of Kai isn't supposed to be greasy or cheesy, but it definitely felt like Raul was overdoing the "cool" factor, making his line delivery pretty greasy (which also wasn't his usual tone of voice, so it seemed forced).
MUSIC: I laughed a lot at the soundtrack (and that's not a good thing). I actually expected more Snow Man or Johnny's songs in general, but there was just the one at the very end, and instead we got a bunch of poorly made English songs that sounded like random royalty-free songs you'd find on Google. Especially the intro song.... iykyk. I thought they got some random, already-made song and just stuck it in, but then the singer proceeds to croon "Honey Lemon Soda" in the lyrics and I died inside. I was super confused and slightly awed that they actually made this song for the movie. And why English? Is this a trend now??
REWATCH VALUE: Hmm.. I probably won't rewatch this as there are plenty of shoujo movies that are better. But I won't judge if you do watch this because honestly it wasn't as bad as many others. Just be a little patient, let it take some time, and watch the credits til the end because that stuff was cute, man.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'd say Go ahead and watch it!!
[[CONTAINS NO SPOILER OF THE PLOT - first 10 minutes, and type of ending are shared, to give a feel of the movie -all section headings are clearly marked^^]]------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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RECOMMENDED IF you are up for a scary movie with decent amount of jumpscares, not really gore/violent, has a story plus backstory. Acting is good, effects are decent, the movie is not pure horror, it has interspersed elements of comedy and teeny budding romances.
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STORY:::
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FIRST 10 MINUTES:
The movie starts with a group of students at a cram school, at night, asking a girl about her friend who has been missing for a while. And once she explains there is a sudden blackout.
The urban legend of girl haunting Siam Square is narrated (I was hooked by this point), after which the movie continues to explain what has happened leading up to this point.
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PACE:
Was decent. There was a stuff happening, so you'd be engaged but not too soon as to be confusing. Just optimum for a lazy watch (for a horror movie of course).
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PLOT:
> Overall, nothing controversial. There are few plot-holes but nothing I want to hang on to.
> Almost had a mini rollercoaster of emotions but I am glad I sat through it.
> SCARE FACTOR: was just okay, for a horror movie though there were few plot points where tbh I had to mute/ pause and catch my breath to continue. More than the jumpscares, the makeup and the CGI (well it got to me, I can be a scaredy-cat), I liked the story telling - (narration / the plot itself) - which could scare. No gore/ extreme violence or bloodshed. As mentioned movie often makes the mood lighter with comic and emotional elements.
> ROMANCE FACTOR (Since the synopsis mentions "romantic conflicts"): I do appreciate romance even in horrors haha, and there are few romantic interests going around, at least one of which that I found cute.
> DEPTH: Movie offers more than just scares.
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TYPE OF ENDING:
Closure : I'd say 98% if I were to nitpick
Happy/sad : better than I'd hoped for - it is more than just happy or sad, I'd call it satisfying.
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ACTING: Was good. Almost all the main characters were high schoolers who were trying to get to the bottom of what ws happening. And they played their parts well. There are definitely deeper emotions, I personally found nothing lacking. Each actors have done their part pretty well, they fit their characters
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MY OPINION: Overall, I enjoyed watching it, definitely do not regret or think it was waste of time. I would recommend as horror that can be watched on a lazy day. I am not big on rewatching (ever) but wouldn't mind re-watching this with company either.
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This review may contain spoilers
Human x Demon story but they get a happy ending
How many times do I have to watch about a snake demon and human go through turmoil just to get a sad/inconclusive ending?? (@ Legend of the White Snake smh) Anyway, Hanson and the Beast is a contemporary fantasy romance between a demon and a human with - YES - a happy ending and minimal angst. I knew I was off to a good start when the very first minutes of the movie was a narration from a child talking about their father and mother meeting. Bless!! It's cute, sweet, funny, and has all the classic feel-good Cdrama tropes mixed in. Definitely recommended for a light-hearted fantasy romance!PROS
❀ Fun main cast | The ML is a debt-ridden zoo-keeper who's going on dates to marry for money, but his plans keep getting foiled due to our innocent (and very pretty!) FL getting in his way. She tries seducing him in the naive way that a fox demon who doesn't interact with humans much would do, and hijinks ensue. Both actors were quirky and energetic with their roles, lending a comical tone. It was also refreshing to see the FL use her powers to defend/protect the ML, lol.
❀ Fun storyline that follows the main couple's romance | While the main couple is falling in love, the antagonist is dead-set on drawing the line between humans and demons. This includes capturing the rare fox demon (our FL) and spreading false news that humans tortured her. It gives the opportunity of a role reversal, where the ML has to save the FL this time.
❀ Hilarious supporting cast and scenes | This movie was like an exciting roller coaster ride. I loved the cat demon childhood best friend (why was he so funny??) who supported the FL through and through, the antagonist vulture demon whose evilness was sometimes mocked at throughout the movie, and all the minor demons featured as well. For hilarious scenes, we got an amazing bed scene (or, the prelude to one) that was wayyy more comedic than I expected, the debt collectors accidentally getting involved with the demons, and this movie set scene where the actual demons are hiding within an army of actor demons. A++ entertainment.
CONS
✕ Rushed romance | FL has loved the ML since he saved her when she was a small fox, and ML falls in love with FL after she supports him as a "fan." I mean do I buy it? Yesss because it's a fantasy romance movie but am I giving it a lot of leeway? Yes as well.
✕ No resolution on the dad plot | Man, I expected more on the dad plot! I guess they were running our of time to fit a resolution for him in, lol.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10 | FL reveals her demon self pretty early on upon meeting and the main couple work together to beat the baddies.
OVERALL
Y'all know how hard it is for me to find a romantic Chinese movie with a HE? Maybe I been looking at the wrong sites, but... most of the time it's either a youth movie or a sad/'realistic'/open ending. I'm happy to have found Handson and the Beast. It may be silly at times, but overall it's a heartwarming and fun watch about a man who's struggling to fit into human society and a fox demon who refuses the limitations of her society.
Note: I just found out that this screenwriter also has a drama with the same concept of an organization that deals with monsters/demons in the human world, called Bureau of Transformer. Going on my to-watch list!
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It's quite a good movie to watch
The story was quite good, I was about to give it 10 stars in the beginning... But, when the ending came, it doesn't make sense, and it wasn't a good way to end the movie at all. Overall, the acting and cast was very good, I gave it a 10/10 for that part. The music wasn't the best, but it was quite okay. While, the story was okay, everything was good except for the ending. The ending could've been better in my opinion.Feel free to give it a try! It's a little different compared to other BL movies, but it's worth a try!
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A whole historical in 7 minutes with a cat!
This is actually pretty impressive how they managed to squeeze in a whole historical C-drama and even added, Meow the secret girl to it... Swardfight, blood cough (though they were stingy with the cranberry juice), poisoning, intrigues, flashbacks, slomo, romance, lust, and all in under 7 minutes!I honestly felt that I got all the information I needed on this short emotional cute journey... It may also be a commercial for some kind of pancakes, I am not 100% sure.... And I did feel like eating one...
I am not going to say that this was great, but cute, fluffy and took less time to watch than to write this review... So just go for it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Bound to be a masterpiece as time passes...
This movie started out as a great comedy, and I enjoyed it immensely; the comedic parts are so good; you shouldn't watch this after quiet hours in your house, dorm, or apt; you will probbaly be laughing out loud some of the time!However, a "shift' came about as Gu Xiao Jiao (Tong Li Ya) finally meets the man she initially met in her "shared" apartment twenty years later (though, just 'days' away in her timeline), and found that the path he had taken did not make him the "man" she enjoyed being with in her apartment shared in teh time distortion.
We also find that futures are "changed" with the actions brought about by Lu Zhi Yi (Lei Jia Yin) in the 1999 timeline; actions that affect both Lu Ming (again, Lei Jia Yin) and Gu Xiao Jiao's father as well.
The cinematogrphy was great: I loved the way both timelines weres shown together and seemed to be sewn together perfectly! The earlier timelines from 1999 involved many icons that also appeared in 1999 America, and they must have spent much time on details since the street scenes seemd so perfect.
I see that both main cast members worked together in past movies, which their chemistry together shows briliiantly as their onscreen chemistry is unmistakenly and almost flawless - like two people who have actually lived together for years...I also enjoyed the unexpected short dialogues intertwined within the credits at the end!
The support cast gave their talent and years of expereince in making the two main characters seem so much more alive and genuine, giving more personality to the main cast members throughout the movie.
This should become a masterpiece or have a cult following in the future!
RE-WATCH: A big Yes!
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I do not know what to think about this
So I watched this because it looked interesting, but I'm a bit sad. It didn't end as I was expecting, but it was a bit worth it. A bit of romance, a bit of drama; a bit of thrilling, funny or confusing scenes...The movie is mostly a memory of the grandmother, a story about how she and her family found a boy who -turned out to- was a werewolf. (I still saw him as a puppy tho, he looked so cute) It's about the way she taught him as he was her own son, the way she cared for him and the way he cared for her :)
She was living somewhere else with someone else, she maybe didn't even think of him that much as he thought about her. Even when she was an old lady, she still remembered the happy moments they shared together tho.
Now to the things I did not like: the fighting scenes were too long for me, not that I was scared tho; also there were lots of scenes in the night, and I was watching in at day time so it was sometimes hard to see what is even happening; I expected bigger plot twist, I expected something more romantic and thrilling, not a small mix of every genre... and to the ending - I do not wanna spoil you, but I think you will see why I was disappointed.
I think the idea was good, but they should focus more on one genre, not adding more and more so I can't even tell what I watched.
Anyway, that's it and sorry if I made any mistakes in grammar.
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Could not connect with it
There were some good parts that I (objectively) could tell were good moments of build-up or touching moments, but for some reason I was never able to fully connect with (and distinguish between, tbh) all of the characters.For that reason it also just felt like the movie was a little longer than it had to be — a lot of it was about people I didn't really care much for.
I think perhaps I've just seen too many war movies and this one didn't do anything different, so nothing about it stood out to me (other than the fact that there was no plot armor for the main characters, one thing I appreciated).
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Just Turn On The Evening News for the same CRAP!
I cannot justify giving this film any higher of a rating...Sure, the main actresses, both sisters, played theIr parts well, the support cast did an excellent job playing the vilians, and the other bit parts all added to the overall "feeL" of this film...both supporting the main actresses and making the plot believable.
The colors were vivid, especially the over-use of the color 'red', not just the blood, either.
But WHY would anyone in the their right mind would want to sit through a movie that 'insinuates' a 'special needs' teenage girl being raped several times, even though it was most suggestive rather than blatantly excessive; no nudity, thank God! Also, why would anyone want to see a lovely lady, dressed in red (probably to hide her bleeding if she got hurt; I am joking here), but the color 'red' is a major symbol in this movie, but I am not going to go there in this review).
You can watch Clint Eastwood in his DIRTY HARRY series, you can watch Bruce Willis in his John McClan character in the DIE HARD franchise, or a dozen other similar films. Does the 'hero' being a 'heroine' beating everyone up make this film any more worth watching?
The older sister Park In Ae (Lee Si Young) was justified trying to rescue her younger sister (Park Eun Hye, played by Park Se Wan) but other avenue could have been taken: get the media involved and the girl would become so hot that they would gladly give up gettng their money back and protecting their 'business' overall.
I agree with a lot of what was said by other reviewers before me, but my main reason for writing this review is
1) When was the line between justice and overstepping boundaries crossed in this movie?
2) The worst part of this movie is that it shows how GREED and LUST drives the sexual slave market; everyone, including an old man, who wanted to get a piece of the teenage girl and even try to make a buck off of further sexual 'use' of her; it's all I could do to fast forward through the blood and guts and the passing on of the girl to someone else!
I guess my work in emergency services: ambulance attendant, Emergency Room technician, Warm and Hot lines, and Rape Advocacy over the years, took control of me in the opening sequences; I enjoy a good shoot-em-up and 'Dirty Harry'-type movie occasionally, but not involving teenage (especially) special-needs girls being molested time and time again.
I feel that the director 'sold' out to make this movie more appealing to an American audience, my main problem with the way a lot of newer Asian movies are slanted!
RE-WATCH: Never again!
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Watch this movie and change the way you are living your life
I hesitated a lot before watching this movie. I am going through tough times currently and I didn't want anything to put me down further. But...I am so glad I watched it. Hours later, I am still crying, but I am so glad. The atmosphere was phenomenal, the story was really moving, my heart has been beating from beginning to end. To think about all those men and women who died all other the world while sacrificing for their countries, and to think about how we live our lives now, egoistically. And the acting...perfect. They were so right in all of their emotions. Kudos to Minho, I hope he gets more and more deep movie roles. If I survive the next few months, I will change my life thanks to this movie.Was this review helpful to you?
Donnie Yen's character, Henry Chen, returned to teach at his old school after serving in the United States military. He was assigned to the worst class in the school. What he found were standard movie fare students---poor students, students with parental problems, misunderstood kids, racism, kids running errands for gangsters, stressed kids, kids with unfulfilled dreams. Chen studied their histories and then stepped in to make things right by unconventional means.
In addition to the teenagers' problems, the school was in danger of being shut down because of underachieving students. Throw in gangsters who intended to develop the area where the school sat, and you've got all you need for conflict. Add in a couple of awesome fights when the plot slowed down or became too serious to keep the audience invested and you've got a winner-it's Donnie Yen, we don't expect him to solve all of his problems in a peaceful way, do we?
Donnie elevated a familiar and at times clichéd story with his star power. He transitioned over to less action and more acting smoothly in this film. The kids were likeable even when doing unlikeable things. One problem with such a large cast, the villains were underdeveloped even though one had a key connection to Chen.
This movie was a combination of social concerns and martial arts displayed in a fairly balanced manner. Some problems may have been solved too easily, but sometimes we need to believe that children can be saved from others and themselves and that someone cares enough to risk stepping in to help them. Big Brother had moments of inspiration and enough action and character development to keep it entertaining. Donnie Yen as Henry Chen didn't just save the children in this story, he saved this movie as well.
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A short & sweet slice of life story
Overall: this is a 28 minute slice of life/coming out story with an established m/m couple. Watched on Gagaoolala.Content Warnings: none
What I Liked
- a sweet established couple
- the mom was observant
- the sibling communication
- the (short) m/m couple communication
Room For Improvement
- the dodge at the end/not very clear, but I think this is also realistic in some instances
- they could have cut the scene/other character with the writing and spent that time somewhere else
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I've re-watched this 3 times already, what more is there to say?
What a beautiful movie. Even though I found the beginning quite slow, in general, it's a pretty chill movie. The OST is exquisite, and I'm not even a BTS fan. It tied in very well with the overall drama and was used in the right places as well. The movie gets better and better towards the end as more emotions are shown. The overall storyline was great, but not spectacular or new imo. But in this movie I really just loved how you can see how both characters loved each other and it really warmed my heart(literally melted it into a goopy puddle). I don't want to give spoilers but I really recommend you watch this movie, 100% not a waste of time!Was this review helpful to you?
I enjoyed it despite the heartbreak
"There's a billion things in life more important than suffering for love" and I couldn't have agreed more with Otomo .It seems masochism is a recurring theme throughout many Japanese BL's and this film is no exception. It's time for the gays to break free from the shackles of pain and embrace love in the right places lol. Overall the acting was great and the story was solid. The only small issue I had was with the length. There are portions of this that seemed to drag and could've been condensed, despite that and all the pain and heartbreak I still really enjoyed this film.Was this review helpful to you?
