Good Story Ruined By Unnecessary Twist

This was an enjoyable movie up until the last 10-15 minutes. Instead of having a mellow, thoughtful and sincere ending, Sweet & Sour blindsides you with an unnecessary twist that changes your entire viewing experience (most likely for the worst). While some people might see it as unique or creative, I strongly disagree. This should've been a slow-burn romance/melodrama about a woman desperately searching to reignite an old flame with her partner who isn't in tune with her and her emotions. In some ways, that's what you get to see but it's done very unsatisfyingly. For one, the ML simply isn't a sympathetic character. On the other hand, the FL is almost without flaw while the SFL has absolutely no personality aside from eating hamburgers and fries all day. There's not much of a push-and-pull relationship between the ML and the two female characters either. Not like the trailer implies. I'm frustrated because there's so many things this movie could've done that it didn't do. There's some symbolic moments here and there, but what it's saying as a whole isn't new or even interesting for that matter. The acting and soundtrack is pretty good, and Sweet & Sour is definitely rewatchable but not for the right reasons. It's slightly above average for me.

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Predictable Story, Poor Execution

For about 3/4th's of the movie, Recalled is completely predictable. Its plot points feel so familiar. However, that wouldn't be as bad if the story wasn't skin-deep. At no point was I ever on the edge of my seat, worried about what might happen to the FL. In fact, for a main character, she doesn't do much of anything. Things just sort of happen to her, and people show up conveniently to help. Then, there's a twist, revealed through a cluster of time skips, which I liked at first but made no sense to me by the end of the movie. It's one of those things where EVERYTHING could've been resolved if the characters sat down and had a genuine conversation with each other. The actors did a good job, but no one stood out to me in any particular way. It is the same for the music. There are some questions I have that could probably be answered if I watched the movie again, but I think I can live without those questions being answered. Overall, Recalled was an average movie. It wasn't outstandingly good or bad, just nothing new.

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