Dead Kids (2019) User Reviews (22)

Good Set-Up But The End Is Lacking

[LennyO92 · 6/10 · 26 December 2019]

Dead Kids is about a group of boys who plot to kidnap the class bully and ask for ransom from the bully's drug lord father.

I liked this movie up until 2/3rds of the way because the acting by all of the main cast was superb. Being a Filipino, and having gone through High School here, the 4 main boys all put up convincing performances (although a bit exagerrated by the script). The pacing was also good - it wasn't too rushed or too slow. The cinematography and music did a good job of establishing the film's atmosphere.

I just have a problem with the ending, and undeveloped characters. I know that film is about show, don't tell but I think some details about the main character weren't really fleshed out or were too subtle. The decision he made at the end really did not make sense to me. The character of Sue Ramirez was also underdeveloped (I agree with one of the reviews posted here) that her speech before the ending felt forced or out of place and her last scene just puzzled me and I didn't know what it meant.

There was a bit of social commentary also in the film about social class but again, it fell short for me. I know the film makers didn't want to be too preachy but I would've preferred a bit more preachiness instead of grasping at straws as to what it was the makers were trying to stand for.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend that people watch this movie. It would be interesting to see what else the Red Brothers will come up with in their future projects.

Mixed results

[Wizard-8 · 5/10 · 11 December 2019]

The premise of a bunch of amateurs gathering together to pull off a great crime - robbery, kidnapping, murder, or something else - may have been done many time before in movies, but even then I always find the premise irresistible. When I sat down to watch this particular example, I was especially intrigued because it was not an American effort, but instead a Filipino effort. The new setting gave this some novelty, which did help sometimes when the movie was showing off its shortcomings. I'm not saying this is a BAD movie - it's not boring, and I admit that part of me was interested in seeing how things would be wrapped up in the end. And despite a fairly low budget, it never looks so cheap to be distracting. However, the movie has its downs as well as ups. It doesn't seem to find a consistent tone - sometimes it's goofy, and sometimes it's serious. Also, while I know the central figures are just teenagers, even then they seem really stupid and haven't taken the time to plan things out (it seems they make their plans in 48 hours or less.) Some viewers may also have a problem with the fact the characters are constantly changing between speaking English and speaking Tagalog (though I know this is how many Filipinos do speak.) I'd recommend it to viewers who don't have their expectations particularly high.

Mediocre

[romasantamikko · 5/10 · 15 December 2019]

Good to passable acting. Cinematography is ok. Cringy Dialogue. The main character is supposedly a smart dude but almost everything is dumb. What was even the point of Sue Ramirez's character? When you search for this movie you see her name on the list of actors first but for what? She wasn't really a plot device or a 'Chekov's gun' in a sense. She was just there...

Boring and uneventful...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 14 March 2020]

While the Tagalog cinema is flooded with cheesy romantic comedies, it is often nice to have a break away from that genre, so I was excited to get to watch the 2019 movie "Dead Kids" by director and writer Mikhail Red.

However, it was a short lived excitement, because "Dead Kids" turned out to be a tedious movie experience. An experience of which I managed to last 1 hour, then I simply gave up out of sheer and complete boredom. Nothing much of any interest happened through the course of that ordeal of an hour I sat through. And I can honestly say that I have no intention of returning to watch the rest of the movie, as the storyline failed to interest me at all.

I will say, however, to the movie's defense that the acting in the movie was good, and the actors and actresses seemed quite adept at making the characters come to life on the screen. Just a shame that they had nothing to work with in terms of script and storyline.

This was a disappointment for me and I am rating "Dead Kids" a mere three out of ten stars. This is by no means the best that the Tagalog cinema has to offer.

Underdogs Undoing

[3xHCCH · 7/10 · 3 December 2019]

Mikhail Red's "Birdshot" (2016) was the first Filipino film to stream on the Netflix platform. There had since been several other Filipino films to reach worldwide viewership this way. This year, Red goes one step further with his latest film "Dead Kids," which gains the distinction as the first Filipino film to be produced by Netflix. This had its world premiere last November 17, 2019 as the closing film of the recent Cinema One Originals film festival. Two days ago, it made its Netflix debut.

The title "Dead Kids" refer to outcasts or unpopular kids in school, those who are don't exist to the other students. The story refers to a gang of such kids: the serious leader Blanco, the wacky joker Paolo, the vaping Chinese nerd Yu and their new recruit, poor scholar Mark Sta. Ana. Tired of being tormented by popular rich kid Chuck Santos, the boys hatch a plot to kidnap the bully and demand a sizable ransom from his drug lord father. Once their nefarious plan gets going though, they realize how much they were in over their heads.

This is another one of those youth-themed films showing their shenanigans in school. While these could be very entertaining for young people, for parents they paint disconcerting pictures of what they don't see after they drop their kids off every morning. We have seen these tropes before -- the bullies, the mean girls, the nerds, the massage parlor, the dance clubs. However, this one took things further with a particularly violent turn which made it all the more disturbing for everyone.

Admittedly, the actors may look older than typical senior high school students, but they all brought their A-games to their roles. They were all very natural in their portrayal of youthful recklessness. Vance Larena looked dangerously volatile with his big baleful eyes reflecting issues jumbled around inside Blanco's head. Khalil Ramos was too effective at being the annoying jerk that Paolo was, you'd want to shut that noisy mouth of his yourself. New actor Kelvin Miranda pulled off the misfit naivete required of the central role of Mark very well.

Among the girls, Sue Ramirez had prominent billing, but her character, the smart girl Janina, was largely sidelined and undeveloped. Instead, it was Gabby Padilla who got to join in the action more as Paolo's nosy girlfriend Yssa.

With energetic camera work and edgy musical score, director Mikhail Red succeeded to create a nihilistic milieu in which the underdogs attempt the unthinkable to extract revenge and extort money at the same time. He could have pushed the outrageous concept into further depths of violence, but wisely elected to still keep things grounded in reality. Part one of the caper may have looked a bit too easy to pull off, but Red made sure the rest of the plan would not just come together that conveniently for the boys. The suspense and tension of the final outcome will keep viewers hanging on to the very end. 7/10.

Dead Kids: almost die watching this crap.

[radityanugraha-78569 · 1/10 · 12 December 2019]

90 minutes with almost nothing happen, all the characters was annoying and unlikeable, no thrilling or suspense in here, just bunch of kids swearing with lack of capable acting, please avoid this crap or you'll be "dead kids" as well. Totally CRAP. Really hard to watch because the movie was superrrr boring.

Different take for Filipino films

[JaeBats · 7/10 · 14 December 2019]

Honestly, I was really impressed the first time I watched this. I don't really watch Filipino movies anymore because of the cringefest we usually get from film festivals, but hey, I was randomly scrolling on Netflix and saw this, and the trailer was very compelling--I had to watch it.

And oh boy, slow clap for the production of this film-from the music/score, to the shots, color grading was aight-everyone's doing it so it was nothing new but it was right for the aim of the film.

The acting was actually really good, I was impressed, it was nothing like the ones I've seen in Philippine cinema/TV with all the over the top screaming, crying, and such. I hate to say this, but Sue Ramirez has that typical Filipino acting, but I guess they needed someone mainstream to invite audience into watching this film. I loved the scene at the car before they did the act, the silence was so intense, you could feel and see how nervous they were, which was only the natural thing to feel if it was your first time kidnapping someone, moreover, as a 19 y/o! I have nothing against with the conyos in this film, I know enough conyos in my life, so yeah, I thought they were natural.

The second time I watched this, I watched it with my fam, it suddenly became corny and cheesy. My parents didn't understand the movie, so I guess this one is for the youth. But still, props to Mikhail Red for doing a different take on the Philippine films. Hope this keeps going and reach wider audience.

The trailer was the best part for the film

[phoemelads · 3/10 · 25 January 2020]

Felt catfished by the trailer that promised an edgy, dark comedy and exciting heist movie with social commentary. The editing was fast paced and dialogue chosen was controversial.

The film had barely any of that. It fell flat and became this cliche melodramatic sob fest. You cannot feel sympathy for any of the characters because their choices are so illogical and just dumb. The characters are flat and stereotypes that aren't even comedic, it's just annoying. The underdog characters have no charm either.

The direction was bland. A lot of people sitting down and talking scenes for a supposedly exciting heist film. The color grading was interesting at least. It's basically a pretty and drawn out episode of MMK. This movie was a disappointment, especially with the screenplay and it's frustrating because the trailer showed what it could have been if it lived up to it's potential.

Not the ending Im expecting

[lesterville06-47-142031 · 7/10 · 26 April 2020]

I want some twisted plot at the ending. Its just another familiar ending to have seen in a movie like this. So much potential and actors have portraited well their characters.

It should not be Dead Kids when in fact only One Kid have died.

Disaster

[mailittorahulj · 1/10 · 11 May 2022]

One of the worst movies ever. I've watched a lot of Filipino movies for a non- Filipino person and there are so many good ones but this one was such a letdown because of the climax. Wasn't expecting a happy ending or rooting for the kids but the writing was so horrible towards the end. Waste of 90 minutes.

A gem among the repeated cycle of love stories in Filipino media

[gelseychua · 8/10 · 9 December 2019]

This movie is a breath of fresh air from all the cheesy rom-coms and angsty love stories that Filipino media regurgitates on a daily basis. It's dark, but not Joker dark, humorous, yet serious when it needs to be, and delivers quite a powerful message when it comes to privilege.

The cast made me love the movie even more. Vance Larena definitely stood out to me, as he was the most intriguing character of the movie. Despite how his actions were morally wrong, you can't help but feel pity and sorrow for Blanco, as it is clear that he is a victim to his circumstances. Khalil Ramos brings his A game as the comedic relief, delivering ridiculously stupid puns and punchlines with the ease of a late night show host, which compliments the edgy teen flick feel of the movie.

Overall, some plot holes here and there are in fact very noticeable, but didn't ruin my enjoyment of the film. If you want a break from all the love stories of Filipino media, this is for you.

Surprised about the story

[ixan-75419 · 7/10 · 16 February 2023]

Ok so basically some awkward teens want revenge on some guy who is bullying them and they decide to kidnap the bully. Honestly at first I found it super weird and there was so much swearing that it took 90% of the movie at this point. Some reactions they did like when the guy got shot they ran which is believable but if it were real after running wouldn't you just want to process what the hell just happened. Also the ending was perfect but at the same time confusing. Main character gets shot but also why would he suddenly go insane? What was the reason and why did the cops let the other guy go? Its kind of confusing. Also this did kinda take long considering sometime nothing happens but it is based on a true story and I mean you can't really expect for it to have so much action.

Definitely one of the worst movies I've seen.

[ianbuenav · 1/10 · 9 March 2022]

Bad acting ✔ Worst script in any media ✔ no real life lesson or meaningful story line ✔ a more popular actor that offered nothing in the movie ✔ unlikeable characters ✔

Here's the story kids gets bullied, bullied kid was talked into kidnapping the bully, the act "unsurprisingly" went wrong which caused a death, the police obviously caught them afterwards.

I havent seen a movie this bad in a long time, a complete waste of time.

Good intentions ...

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 28 June 2020]

... gone wrong? Well you have to watch to know. Though I would recommend watching the trailer first or at least read about what this is ... about. Not everything is for everyone and those teenage boys can be quite annoying. And when you come to their "plan", you may be even more annoyed.

The movie tries to keep it as real as possible, but gets quite crazy at times. Coincidences and everything included that is. The resolution may make some mad too, but it is what it is ... I've seen worse movies and as bad as the characters are, the movie is decent (acting has some downfalls though)

MASTERPIECE

[rodmagaru · 9/10 · 5 December 2019]

Guys go watch this masterpiece! What an intense script and casting. Its storyline brings such delight to worldwide audience. Refreshing and modern, DEAD KIDS definitely made it to my 10 best films of 2019! Filipino made, but feels like Yates, Arriaga.

Not your usual filipino movie

[jptimbol · 10/10 · 11 December 2019]

I love this movie its not your regular filipino movie the videography scenes are like from internation movies the plot and its like shows how we kids act its spot on even on what we wear and talk for real already watched it two time and probably watch it again dont fxxkixng ask why just watch it..

Underrated movie by Mikhail Red

[ethanclaret · 9/10 · 12 March 2020]

I appreciate what MIkhail Red did for this movie. The story is good, so does the acting. I do not get why this is such a bad film.

One of the most excellent pieces of Filipino cinema, although it could be better

[iamnotthemiz · 9/10 · 9 April 2020]

In essence, Dead Kids is not a crime film but a look into the mindset of the younger generation. It excellently portrays Filipino youth and gives a satisfying story in the process. While slightly above average compared to films of the same genre, it is quite one of the best when compared to the current landscape of Filipino movies. Cinematography was well put together, which gave chilling neo-noir vibes throughout the watching experience. Some characters were dull and underdeveloped: Uy's role as a "nerd" (portrayed by Jan Silverio) isn't portrayed as clear cut. Janina (portrayed by Sue Ramirez) was an utterly useless character. I expected to see some sort of blowback from Sta. Maria's actions, which could have affected Janina. Her role as the love interest to Sta. Maria is just that, it doesn't go anywhere below the surface. Blanco (portrayed by Vance Larena) was the most interesting of the bunch, since he was the only one who wasn't doing the heist for money. But his motivations seem underdeveloped; his father is working with Uncle Rody while also having had a traumatic experience with him in the past? I hope this could be looked into further. I also wish we could have looked at Blanco's psychology further, how he is so adamant in killing Uncle Rody while the others are mortified. It also bothers me that the kids considered "nerds" or "outcasts" are pretty handsome individuals. Writing issues aside, acting was excellent. It was great to see fresh new faces doing remarkable jobs in their acting, finally new people other than the usual James Reid or Daniel Padilla. The concept was executed beautifully, not only was this well-made, it resonated with a younger audience too. Both adults and teens can find joy in watching the film, which is why I recommend watching this immediately!

Foreigners don't get it.

[Jeikowb · 9/10 · 21 December 2019]

Despite its public release in only the last month of the 2010s, I honestly believe that this film has the potential to be one of the best films this decade, at least in the Philippines.

It comes to no surprise to me that people, especially foreigners, would probably dislike this movie, but they underestimate how much the cast and the script were able to resonate with a young Filipino viewer like me. To a foreigner, it seems like the kids in this movie go overboard, with all the vulgarity and disrespect that they give each other and in no way to me is this overly-edgy. Honestly, this is us; this is who we are, and this is how we treat each other. I don't think it's something a non-Filipino would understand.

Dark and suspenseful

[ClariSays · 10/10 · 9 January 2020]

There were several complexities presented in the film but they were able to put all together allowing a balance between crime thriller and teen drama. It's also worth mentioning that the cast especially Vance Larena who played Charles Blanco was great. I'm glad about the selection of young actors.

Very entertaining

[duckter-76893 · 8/10 · 8 December 2019]

It was so funny. The young actors were very convincing in their roles. The story is a tad unrealistic but it served its purpose. I didn't like Blanco's sub plot.

SO GOOD

[chyscajoymalingin · 10/10 · 10 August 2022]

It actually has a deep message behind the movie. Although i do agree that sometimes their dialogues are kinda cringey. I am very proud that Filipinos can pull off this type of genre. The characters are also so good in acting!!