filmephile
Joined Sep 2024
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filmephile's rating
Reviews81
filmephile's rating
Whether or not this film is ultimately to your taste, it cannot be denied that this film is technically brilliant. The cinematography and overall scope particularly are great. It's a real spectacle. The music really enhances the film and is amazing, haunting, and thrilling. The film follows characters in a sextet of stories across hundreds of years across the world: the Chatham Islands in 1849, England in 1936, San Francisco in 1973, London in 2012, Seoul in 2144, and Hawaii in 2321.
But the film's strength, its scope, also at times functions as its weakness. And therein is where the film unfortunately falters. I'm torn about this film. I've never really seen anything like it, and I understand what the big message is here: reincarnation, and that are lives are not truly our own as they're passed on and on for generations to come. The film is weighty and formidable, a real feat of cinema. But I couldn't help but think that the film collapses under its own weight. It feels convoluted, ostentatious, and even a tad pretentious. It feels like it bites off more than it can chew.
Some stories are more entertaining and engaging than others. The Seoul storyline is the most entertaining, moving, and thought-provoking. And the 1973 storyline is filled with mystery that makes for a good watch. The other storylines range from good to just okay. The 2321 storyline, while is has some unsettling moments, the dialogue is often really difficult to understand as the characters speak in a broken English dialect, which unfortunately took away from the viewing experience. Moreover, because there are multiple stories, the pacing can be choppy. Chunks of the film feel fast, other parts slow, and other parts are downright boring. But that's almost certainly because of the change in styles between the different storyline.
To that end, the use of makeup on some of the actors is questionable and distracting, especially when they're meant to be playing different races. Particular instances that stood out as egregious: an Asian actor wearing a red wig and color contacts to appear white; a black actor wearing a blonde wig, beige makeup, and color contacts to appear white; and several white actors wearing eye makeup akin to yellowface. Mind you, I bring this up not because I believe it to be in poor taste nor racist, which some reviewers have opined, but rather because it sullies the film's immersion.
The acting across the board is good. What's interesting about this film is that since there are six different stories packed into it, each of the main actors alternate between having lead, supporting, or cameo roles in each story. So while you get to see an actor shine in one or two storylines, they barely have any screentime or off on the sidelines in other storylines. That said, Bae Doona in particular is the standout. She has the most compelling story, in which she's the lead, as a clone in a futuristic dystopian Seoul, Korea. She is really impressive and her performance is touching, heartbreaking, and bold. Jim Sturgess is also great. Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, and Ben Whishaw are good too.
The film certainly isn't for everyone, but it is remarkable in what it tries to achieve and say about life and the human condition. While it may spread itself too thin, it is still certainly worth checking out.
But the film's strength, its scope, also at times functions as its weakness. And therein is where the film unfortunately falters. I'm torn about this film. I've never really seen anything like it, and I understand what the big message is here: reincarnation, and that are lives are not truly our own as they're passed on and on for generations to come. The film is weighty and formidable, a real feat of cinema. But I couldn't help but think that the film collapses under its own weight. It feels convoluted, ostentatious, and even a tad pretentious. It feels like it bites off more than it can chew.
Some stories are more entertaining and engaging than others. The Seoul storyline is the most entertaining, moving, and thought-provoking. And the 1973 storyline is filled with mystery that makes for a good watch. The other storylines range from good to just okay. The 2321 storyline, while is has some unsettling moments, the dialogue is often really difficult to understand as the characters speak in a broken English dialect, which unfortunately took away from the viewing experience. Moreover, because there are multiple stories, the pacing can be choppy. Chunks of the film feel fast, other parts slow, and other parts are downright boring. But that's almost certainly because of the change in styles between the different storyline.
To that end, the use of makeup on some of the actors is questionable and distracting, especially when they're meant to be playing different races. Particular instances that stood out as egregious: an Asian actor wearing a red wig and color contacts to appear white; a black actor wearing a blonde wig, beige makeup, and color contacts to appear white; and several white actors wearing eye makeup akin to yellowface. Mind you, I bring this up not because I believe it to be in poor taste nor racist, which some reviewers have opined, but rather because it sullies the film's immersion.
The acting across the board is good. What's interesting about this film is that since there are six different stories packed into it, each of the main actors alternate between having lead, supporting, or cameo roles in each story. So while you get to see an actor shine in one or two storylines, they barely have any screentime or off on the sidelines in other storylines. That said, Bae Doona in particular is the standout. She has the most compelling story, in which she's the lead, as a clone in a futuristic dystopian Seoul, Korea. She is really impressive and her performance is touching, heartbreaking, and bold. Jim Sturgess is also great. Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, and Ben Whishaw are good too.
The film certainly isn't for everyone, but it is remarkable in what it tries to achieve and say about life and the human condition. While it may spread itself too thin, it is still certainly worth checking out.
This is a really great and entertaining series. It's gripping, nail-biting, engrossing, rousing, lush, thrilling, action-packed, fast-paced, and cinematic. It's quite rare for a TV series to keep you at the edge of your seat as this one does. It's really addictive and just all around fun. It's a great cat-and-mouse thriller.
Mind you, this certainly isn't a perfect series: you have to suspend your disbelief. There are a number of things that transpire that don't make much sense in terms of continuity and logic. I'm being vague here to avoid spoilers, but you'll know when you see it. Ostensibly, the writers included or ignored these issues to help move the series along, and I certainly understand that, but these things are noticeable as a viewer and unfortunately took away from the quality. Moreover, the pacing can feel choppy at times. And when the show deviates from following the two leads, it can feel at times monotonous.
But overall it's a real treat to watch. The tension never really stops, and the writing is tight. You question how the Jackal will achieve a particular task or escape a situation, and the series is fantastic in that it finds creative ways to work in for those moments. Not a moment or scene feels wasted, and everything adds up to something. The acting is good. Eddie Redmayne particularly is the standout, giving a powerhouse performance. He has really great screen presence; he's mysterious, chilling, glib, suave, unsettling, bloodless (and bloody, too), and charming. Lashana Lynch is also good portraying Bianca, an MI6 agent, functioning as the foil to the Jackal.
Regarding Lashana Lynch, I don't understand the hate for her. While her character certainly isn't likable, that's the point. She's an intelligence agent tasked with hunting down an assassin who will stop at nothing to find him. Yes, she's unemotional and ruthless, but that not only mirrors how intelligence agents in real life are, but also the Jackal. How else is she supposed to act? Is she supposed to cower in the corner and burst into tears when she has to do something morally gray, or even morally wrong? To that end, the series does a good job illustrating how the Jackal and Bianca are two sides of the same coin, and it makes for compelling viewing. There are times you'll be alternately rooting for the Jackal and Bianca, and question who the good guy and the bad guy really is. She meets her match in this really sly assassin, and he does with her as well. Just as she thinks she's got him, she doesn't, and vice versa.
The production value is great. The cinematography is sweeping and nice to look at. The costumes Redmayne wears, from the tailored suits to watches to turtlenecks to sunglasses, are all really stylish, elegant, and understated. The series has a nice scope, ping-ponging from country to country as we follow the Jackal globe-trotting across Europe for his assignments. This doesn't even really look like a TV series; it looks like a film that belongs in the cinema. That's just how great this looks.
This is certainly one of the best series of the past few years. Highly recommended.
Mind you, this certainly isn't a perfect series: you have to suspend your disbelief. There are a number of things that transpire that don't make much sense in terms of continuity and logic. I'm being vague here to avoid spoilers, but you'll know when you see it. Ostensibly, the writers included or ignored these issues to help move the series along, and I certainly understand that, but these things are noticeable as a viewer and unfortunately took away from the quality. Moreover, the pacing can feel choppy at times. And when the show deviates from following the two leads, it can feel at times monotonous.
But overall it's a real treat to watch. The tension never really stops, and the writing is tight. You question how the Jackal will achieve a particular task or escape a situation, and the series is fantastic in that it finds creative ways to work in for those moments. Not a moment or scene feels wasted, and everything adds up to something. The acting is good. Eddie Redmayne particularly is the standout, giving a powerhouse performance. He has really great screen presence; he's mysterious, chilling, glib, suave, unsettling, bloodless (and bloody, too), and charming. Lashana Lynch is also good portraying Bianca, an MI6 agent, functioning as the foil to the Jackal.
Regarding Lashana Lynch, I don't understand the hate for her. While her character certainly isn't likable, that's the point. She's an intelligence agent tasked with hunting down an assassin who will stop at nothing to find him. Yes, she's unemotional and ruthless, but that not only mirrors how intelligence agents in real life are, but also the Jackal. How else is she supposed to act? Is she supposed to cower in the corner and burst into tears when she has to do something morally gray, or even morally wrong? To that end, the series does a good job illustrating how the Jackal and Bianca are two sides of the same coin, and it makes for compelling viewing. There are times you'll be alternately rooting for the Jackal and Bianca, and question who the good guy and the bad guy really is. She meets her match in this really sly assassin, and he does with her as well. Just as she thinks she's got him, she doesn't, and vice versa.
The production value is great. The cinematography is sweeping and nice to look at. The costumes Redmayne wears, from the tailored suits to watches to turtlenecks to sunglasses, are all really stylish, elegant, and understated. The series has a nice scope, ping-ponging from country to country as we follow the Jackal globe-trotting across Europe for his assignments. This doesn't even really look like a TV series; it looks like a film that belongs in the cinema. That's just how great this looks.
This is certainly one of the best series of the past few years. Highly recommended.
I've watched the first season only, and I chose not to continue with the second season. Reading the following review will make it clear as to why I chose not to.
The series is visually beautiful and technically brilliant, but I kept waiting for something to happen with the story, and nothing ever really did. Perhaps a good way to summarize the series is that it's style over substance.
There are things to admire about this series, such as the beautiful cinematography, lighting design, and the acting, particularly from Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, and Jacob Elordi. But there are also things that really bring down the series or makes it at the very least questionable. This feels more like a series of vignettes of troubled teenagers stitched together, rather than an actual coherent story. The plot is very jumpy. While teens certainly do party and do drugs, the amount on display here is really exaggerated for seemingly no reason. To that end, everything seems to be exaggerated overall from the emotions to the fights to the drama between characters to the point that you begin to wonder why it's so overly dramatic in the first place. There's a lot going on, but it doesn't really lead to anything. It just feels like a whole lot of nothing. Another thing is that these characters are supposed to be teenagers, legally children, and yet the amount of nudity and at times graphic sex is questionable. That's not to say that teens don't have sex, they obviously do; but you do have to question why there's so much nudity here as it doesn't add up to the story and just feels icky and gratuitous. The series tries to cover a wide range of topics, but bites off more than it can chew. It seems to rely on style and shock over true substance, and therein lies its true problem.
While there are a few genuinely moving moments, particularly revolving around Rue's addiction and Jules's backstory, overall the series feels hollow. It's certainly beautiful to look at, but the amount of debauchery depicted not only rings untrue, but is also pointless. It's like the series doesn't know what it wants to be about, a series about the horrors of drug addiction, or a series about how hormonal and melodramatic and terrible teenagers can be to one another. The series just stretches itself too thin. All that said, check out this series if only for the great visuals on display and some good acting.
The series is visually beautiful and technically brilliant, but I kept waiting for something to happen with the story, and nothing ever really did. Perhaps a good way to summarize the series is that it's style over substance.
There are things to admire about this series, such as the beautiful cinematography, lighting design, and the acting, particularly from Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, and Jacob Elordi. But there are also things that really bring down the series or makes it at the very least questionable. This feels more like a series of vignettes of troubled teenagers stitched together, rather than an actual coherent story. The plot is very jumpy. While teens certainly do party and do drugs, the amount on display here is really exaggerated for seemingly no reason. To that end, everything seems to be exaggerated overall from the emotions to the fights to the drama between characters to the point that you begin to wonder why it's so overly dramatic in the first place. There's a lot going on, but it doesn't really lead to anything. It just feels like a whole lot of nothing. Another thing is that these characters are supposed to be teenagers, legally children, and yet the amount of nudity and at times graphic sex is questionable. That's not to say that teens don't have sex, they obviously do; but you do have to question why there's so much nudity here as it doesn't add up to the story and just feels icky and gratuitous. The series tries to cover a wide range of topics, but bites off more than it can chew. It seems to rely on style and shock over true substance, and therein lies its true problem.
While there are a few genuinely moving moments, particularly revolving around Rue's addiction and Jules's backstory, overall the series feels hollow. It's certainly beautiful to look at, but the amount of debauchery depicted not only rings untrue, but is also pointless. It's like the series doesn't know what it wants to be about, a series about the horrors of drug addiction, or a series about how hormonal and melodramatic and terrible teenagers can be to one another. The series just stretches itself too thin. All that said, check out this series if only for the great visuals on display and some good acting.