erica
This review may contain spoilers
Promising start, Lame Story. Problematic OTP
Itaewon Class started on a promising note but degenerated into a lame story with problematic OTP. Initial episodes were good. I was solidly behind Sae Ro Yi’s quest for justice . The crew he assembled was interesting.Early warning signals:
- I didn’t care for the OTPs. I was indifferent to Soo Ah after she joined forces with Janga. I liked
Yi Seo ‘s sharp acumen but felt let down when she started being clingy to Sae Ro Yi.
- the hero - Sae Ro Yi was becoming bland. With a singular expression and singular hairstyle. After his pain in the early episodes, now it seems nothing fazed him. I can’t relate to him.
Still I labored on. But at episodes 10-14, I can no longer ignore the obvious:
STORY IS LAME:
It resorted to improbable plot devices like a passable cook winning national champion, a fairy grandma storyline, a chaebol heir so stupid he boasted his own murder to a near stranger, and successive car hits.
But the biggest weakness of the writing is absence of believable transitions. There is a cartoonish stubbornness displayed by the characters - just like Sae Ro Yi’s unchanging hair - but then bang! - they make an abrupt switch. The audience isn’t brought along in the journey. Examples:
- The unquestioning loyalty of Sae Ro Yi (ML) to his original love was caricaturish . A normal person would at least be hurt when Soo Ah joined hands with his father’s killer. But no, he’s such a saint, he accepted readily as if his love was simply choosing a red lipstick. Ok no matter. After the time skip he continues to be unwavering .....then bang! abruptly realised he’s in love with another person all along. What nonsense.
- The younger brother renouncing his family connection. He didn’t seem conflicted at all. Then bang! - one day he crossed over to the dark side. Ok.
- A badass sociopath female who became super clingy. Which brings me to...
PROBLEMATIC OTP:
Yi Seo repeatedly saying “I love you” to Sae Ro Yi. SRY firmly declining and saying no, no, no. Then on ep 14 (with a few token flashback), makes an unconvincing about face. He’s in love with Yi Seo all along! (Umm, which part of no, no, no did we miss?) At best, this OTP is cringey. A bigger issue is the screenwriter applauding borderline harassment behaviour and finding it lovable.
The only progressive element is diversity inclusion.
With the help of FFWD button, I did finish it. I enjoyed Park Bo Gum’s cameo, otherwise ending is predictable. And as for the hero? Sae Ro Yi is now hooked up with the clingy female but continues to be as preachy as ever.
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First..for the good parts, the special effects are well done and much better than the obviously fake CGI animation in the tv drama. i also prefer the lead actress liu yifei in the movie. For me she looks more endearing than yang mi in the drama. It took a bit of time for me to warm up to TV yang mi. The pacing is fast (sometimes too fast) so you will not get bored watching.
now for the bad parts. whether or not you've seen the TV drama version, this movie has fairly significant shortfalls.
if you've not seen the drama, the plot will be baffling. Special effects cannot make up for lack of cohesive story. The idea to constantly go back and forth from the present to the past was initially ok, but later robbed the impact and I suspect will make it confusing to moviegoers with no background. And while i understand and support the need to cut many characters and side story, there was lack of explanation on important parts. On the positive side, you will likely find the acting passable, though not brilliant.
if you've seen the drama, the story will be understandable (thanks to your pre-knowledge), however the movie itself will be disappointing. Chinese netizens are diligently posting ludicrous parts e.g. the audience actually laughed the first time some of the supporting characters costume came on to the screen - not the reaction you wanted! Thankfully, the lead actors qian qian and ye hwa are (mostly) costumed nicely, however even qian qian elicited another laughter on one supposed to be dramatic scene, again due to over the top costume. But to me costume can be overlooked. What made it unsatisfying ultimately is lack of emotional connection. The actor yang yang is not so bad, but if you've seen the drama, you can't help but compare to mark chao. Whether it is the fault of the story pacing or the deficiency of acting skills, many dramatic scenes felt flat. One of the highlights of the tv drama was when lead actor and actress met again after a period of separation. In the movie, it was more like "boy meets girl for first time" romcom type of vibe.
For fans of the novel/series, don't be discouraged by this review. Do go ahead and watch. Arm yourself with low expectation and you will enjoy the movie more with its beautifully shot scenes and relive the story. Certainly the ~2hrs flew by quickly. For non-fans, I recommend stay away, it will leave you baffled on what the fuss is all about.
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Twitter fans and I watched a completely different TKEM
Poor LMH! I’m a fan but this isn’t the right comeback.Love Team: Dislike. No chemistry. Not matching from looks standpoint. King is fully smitten at first sight and we’ve no idea why. (The ID is too trivial)
Male lead: Dislike despite being LMH fan. ML had unrealistic reactions to everything. Eg overly calm when transported to parallel world, expounding nonsense and calm in gun fight.
Female lead: Dislike. FL was too weepy from halfway and became Katie Waitey in the end (the label on Kate Middleton when she didn’t really pursue serious career and was just waiting for Prince William).
Evil uncle: Dislike. He could’ve been a worthy antagonist but was utterly powerless and futile. All these years of planning - it’s not just his plan didn’t succeed, his plan didn’t make sense
Prime Minister - Dislike. It’s not that I felt she was evil. ButThere was no point for her role. True, we had some cute scenes on ep16. But ep1-15, there was a lack of coherence and sense of purpose for her role. It didn’t move the plot at all.
Supporting cast: good to very good. They were put to good use. Woo Do Hwan the bodyguard served a good purpose and bromance with himself was fun to watch, Shin Jae the police officer acting was good, Luna served good purpose (even if I didn’t like her as I disliked the actress), the court lady, old prince uncle were good plot insertions that painted a richer world.
Writing . terrible terrible terrible. There is nothing good I can say about the writing.
Directing - overall ok as scenes were pleasant to watch. But 2 big sins - (a) excessive use of slow-mo which backfired. (b) lack of tensions in crucial parts
Music - it’s ok. Not a personal favorite but I can’t criticize the music.
Cinematography- scenes were pleasant to watch but some cheesy insertions (the red balloon, slo-mo photo destruction). But overall good.
Cannot recommend to anyone except drama newbies.
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