Baited with the movie poster :C
Really loved that elevator scene.
The only good things about this movie are the killer's eyes and the scene with the song "Bela Lugosi Is Dead". I don't know how they edited the eyes but they look really good. The scene with the song is well-choreographed.
The film's strength lies in its ability to immerse viewers in a web of suspense and intrigue, masterfully building tension with every twist and turn. The stunning cinematography is paired with great transitions.
The portrayal of 15 years in isolation is a standout aspect, both in its depiction as it unfolds and in its lingering aftermath.
The one-shot fight scene is notably impressive for the time when the movie was released. However, the poor editing of the knife in the protagonist's back detracts a bit from its impact for me.
The last part of the film takes a disturbing turn, leaving a sense of discomfort and an ambiguous resolution that lingers unsettlingly.
The movie has a hard-to-follow plot with slow pacing, which makes it challenging to fully grasp it. It excels in its cinematography, offering captivating shots and an immersive aesthetic. That stops when the gore shows. It is so bad it is funny. Overall the effects and CGI are so bad it's comedic.
It's important to note that the movie's depiction of violence, particularly against women, is undeniably difficult to watch. The unflinching brutality is disturbing.
Kakihara is greatly designed both visually and as a character. It's such a waste of a design put into this movie. I wish they utilized his character more.
Poor woman is sexualised even when grieving. All of it through a disgusting creepy stalking kid's eyes. Ton of disgusting scenes with the kid. Straight up pedophilia... Disgusting. Don't watch this. There is no point to it. Don't subject yourself to this trash.
The only good thing about this show is the acting and chemistry.
I liked the Grim Reaper dude. I love it when men are pathetically in love with a girl.
The pacing is so slow. You are in eight episodes and you say to yourself "Wow, main characters have only kissed one... and accidentally". Mind you eight episodes are around 8 hours and more.
Story is confusing. Why did the Goblin sacrifice himself so he could kill that sus scheming dude? Didn't he do it so she doesn't die? Why did she die nine years later anyway? What was the point? Also weird age gap moment between the two main characters.
The microphone is turned up for some reason a lot of the time on this show. To the point, that you would hear people moving an inch. You could hear the actors when they open their mouths bruh.
It's clear this show had a shit ton of budget why did they have 3 generic songs all through this? The show is 20 hours overall and you have 3 songs? If I hear "It's a beautiful w(l)ife" or "I love you I love you I miss you" one more time I will rip my ears out. Also I'm pretty sure the main characters stare at each other crying for 10 hours total in the show (:
While the story is a generic/cliche it has its charm. The charm being the actors. The show is worth watching because they are great. They truly carry the whole show. The friendship between Shin Ha-ri and Jin Young-seo is really cute. Both actresses are really good and have great chemistry between them.
It's obvious that the show had a high budget. Some transitions are cool while others remind me of TikTok edits. The interesting editing picks up in the beginning, falters in the middle, and is gone by the end. Wish they spent some of the budget on more than 3 songs. The intro song sucks and every time I heard it during the show I cringed.
As previously mentioned the story is quite generic. The writing can be really predictable. It starts kind of interesting, it picks up in the middle and ends boring. Some parts are inconsistent and some parts do not feel satisfying. Some of the problems I have with this story are:
- Kang Tae-moo treatment to Shin Ha-ri in the beginning. The show keeps mentioning what a good employee Shin Ha-ri is. Yet, Kang lets his emotions get the better of him and makes her life miserable at work. So far as to overwork her and almost cause an incident where she fell asleep with the stove working. He went on a full power trip and never got consequences for that.
He does that multiple times throughout the show. Threatening her with a lawsuit when she does not want to sign a contract for a fake relationship.
Or when he filed the lawsuit against the creep that was only going to get fined. (in my opinion, this was justified tho)
Shin Ha-ri was almost fired by the chairman after the scandal. She stood her ground. But why does she stand her ground against the chairman but when Kang Tae-moo goes on a power trip she doesn't stand her ground?
I don't like her character sometimes. She is written to be naive and taken advantage of sometimes despite being 27.
Also, I wish Go Yoo-ra got some consequences for exposing that they were dating. Instead, we get "she is sorry" lol.
- Young-seo and her independence. She is the 'rich girl who goes on her own against her father' trope, but it was actually nice at the beginning.
At some point, her father meets the person she is seeing. Her father says "You're the only child that I have so who knows" and "What's so wrong with checking if my son-in-law could inherit my company?". This felt kind of sexist at first but it is actually missing context in the show so don't know. Why wouldn't his only child inherit the company but the man she is with would? Unless she does not want to inherit his company or he doesn't want her to because she is a woman? Maybe it's also a cultural thing. Apparently, Korea has been a Confucian society, which meant that sons inherited most of the property and carried on the family name.
Her character felt like it was building up for her to be independent. She moves out of her home, gives back her father's credit card, and moves out into her own apartment.
She went to see her father with a resignation letter. This seems like the next step to becoming more independent since she is working in her dad's company. She said that she would prove that she would be perfectly fine on her own without using her father's name. This scene felt really great. Later she says she is gonna make her own company. Great, right? Her boyfriend decided to invest in her company with 1 million won. So much for making it on your own. Why the build-up just so she could end up in the same place as before?
Another thing about Young-seo is when she got drunk and slept with Cha Sung-hoon. Can't believe he would take advantage of her in a state like that.
Anyway, I can't believe they almost did a Hannah Montana on the rotating doors. In the movie "Hannah Montana: The Movie" there is a scene where Hannah Montana is changing while in those mall rotating doors. And in this show, Shin Ha-ri does the same thing.
A friend recommended this movie to me when I was young, and I remember actually liking it. However, upon revisiting the film today, my perspective has significantly changed. It is a bad movie. It's referred to as the Spanish Twilight.
Both main characters exhibit toxic traits. The most problematic aspect revolves around the male protagonist, who embodies toxic masculinity.
A list:
- Throws her into a pool;
- orchestrating the destruction of a car while she is inside;
- he spots his mother, he spirals into a frenzy, recklessly driving with Babi, endangering her life;
- Threatens her teacher, holding her dog hostage, so she could pass the class. (kinda funny);
- He manipulates her into lying in court on his behalf;
- He slaps her at the end of the movie.
He acts so bad and tough all because his mom cheated on his dad some years ago.
Babi is so unlikeable. She gets a tattoo of the first letter of his name after being together for what 24 hours? After 5 minutes of finding out his best friend died she starts blaming him for his death. She then cuts contact with him and her best friend.
Moreover, the emphasis on her coming from a wealthy family seems unnecessary. Hugo ain't broke. He owns a whole-ass motorcycle, his parents have a house and his brother has a huge apartment.
The prevalence of movies like these and their promotion to young girls is deeply concerning. Such films reinforce problematic relationship dynamics and fail to provide healthier and more realistic representations of love, centered on communication, respect, and consent.
Filmmakers must prioritize creating movies that promote healthier relationship dynamics and emphasize essential values like communication, respect, and consent.
Can't believe I actually watched this. It is such a bad and bizarre movie. Dylan Sprouses' performance is the only good thing in this movie.
