4Minutes (Sultrier Version) (2024)

could have been a 10/10

Overall: although I enjoyed the beginning, things unraveled for me. 8 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on GagaOOLala uncut: https://gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4688/4minutes-2024 (except Thailand, Japan, Korea); iQIYI uncut https://www.iq.com/album/4minutes-sultrier-version-2024-1zc6sune8fl?lang=en_us and cut version https://www.iq.com/album/4minutes-2024-1h7yndte6zx?lang=en_us (Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Spain, United Kingdom and United States); Viu with some countries having the cut version (Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, Myanmar, Singapore); Rakuten TV in Japan and Heavenly in South Korea. The cut version has NSFW shortened/cut and also cuts out some plot as well.

Content Warnings: most content warnings, it has some very dark/graphic parts in it

What I Liked
- mystery element
- grey characters
- use of the number 4 or things adding up to 4
- production value* (includes cinematography, use of color as symbolism, props to represent things)

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of a flash forward (or back) as a hook for a series
- there were too many characters/plot to fully develop them all, also pacing
- misleading trailer, it felt that a different character is the main lead instead of a character people were led to believe
- tricking the audience, not a fan of how that was done
- sweet moments that didn't actually happen
- cliched plot stuff
- no reason why a character had a girlfriend, I couldn't support a romance because it was built to not be a romance
- cringey guitar playing/serenading
- the intimate scenes were needed but they did not need to be that explicit/I didn't need to glimpse an actor's body part when walking around
- *many scenes were too dark to see the actors' faces or even what was happening, even for scenes at night they need to put light on their faces
- nonsense stuff: I can't comment on all of the medical things and their realism, but I highly doubt any surgeon would spin his medical implements before/during a surgery, that seemed to be a ton of papers for a small clipboard in ep 1, an investigator who didn't wear gloves at a crime scene, in ep 4 a character oddly didn't wear a mask when he should have
- Be On Cloud decided to sell it to a company where it is only airing in 8 countries (and perhaps 2 more) and then had the gall to not respond anywhere to questions about the remaining 180+ countries but instead posted about how to only watch it via official channels, I don't mind companies needing money to get things made but they should have been clear about where and the why (update: after 5 weeks they had an actual international release and the reason was likely money/maybe they couldn't say their whole release plan due to a contract but it still was bad to not have an official platform for 180+ countries for 5 weeks)

Note About an Actor's Age (I didn't take off points for this but as an fyi 1 actor was likely 17 when he filmed several very explicit scenes, age of majority in Thailand is 20)
- it's valid to feel uncomfortable with a 17 year old actor doing explicit scenes and to not watch this series
- it's valid to feel fine with a 17 year old actor who voluntarily agreed to do explicit scenes (and had his parents' permission) and watch/enjoy this series
- everyone gets to make that decision for themselves, I hold no judgement either way for this example, personally I am watching the series but I'm not re-watching that actor's NC scenes

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Totally Confusing ?

this is very confusing series but that is also the highlight of the series. it is like we are trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together. like I thought like till the episode, yeah a normal love drama. then I like wth is happening. it took me an hour after episode 6 to understand what was going on. then when the 4 minutes of Tyme came, I was again damn confused?. but it was interesting at the same time. like it is a perfect mix, like toxicity, romance, crime, thrilling and also sci-fi. I like it. but i don't recommend it for people who are new to bl. they'll be like wtf is going on. but my personal opinion, I love it.

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What if....?

According to this drama (and I did not fact check it!) our brains continue to function for 4 minutes after the oxygen supply had been cut off. What exactly happens during those 4 minutes? This drama gives us an answer.

The story is not as messy as I was made to understand. It deals with what ifs: would you react differently in the same situation if you are given the opportunity. Mostly, these four minutes give time and space for the characters to grow and mature: one from being a spoiled brat who cannot say no to his friends and is overprotected by his parents and the other one who almost ruined his life looking for revenge. They become aware of their mistakes and learn from them.

There are four distinct parts of the story: 4 episodes of Great's 4 minutes(the time before the brain completely shuts down and the person dies)of a near death experience in the form of time travelling in order to mend his mistakes, followed by two and a half episodes of the real life story, one episode of the Doctor's wishful thinking 4 minutes and finally a half an hour resolution! The first part is the longest, giving us, the viewers, the same time Great needed to understand what's going on! The rest is a bit rushed and a little unsatisfying: I would have liked to see the bad guys really suffer but even though they do get punished, the hope that the society is ever going to change and get better, is not there.

I am glad I binge watched this because the suspense would have killed me - especially when at the end of the penultimate episode every good guy seems to have died: none of the bad guys but EVERY good guy!

The production value here is exceptional, it is very much evident that they tried really hard to give this drama a special feel. And feelings there are just none of the good ones: it is dark and depressing, just like the story it is trying to tell. Mind you, it is beautifully filmed and acted. The special effects are just perfect. The costumes are consistent with the running theme of a depressing and serious drama: Great is always in white and the doctor in black when not in scrubs.

The writing is original and the story is wrapped up nicely (the author seems to like Until We Meet Again a lot given the star crossed lovers' second couple storyline!) though somehow ambiguously with the main couple in a boat on a river inviting the query: are they just out on a date or are they crossing the Styx?

Another important feature, apart from the number 4 are the clocks: every time Great looks at the clock it is 11:00. No matter how much time it passes, it is always 11:00. Until he realizes that he has only 4 min left to live when the clock suddenly changes to 11:01 etc. and everything that he's been experiencing is a coma dream due to a near death experience.

And finally there are cats everywhere; black and white plushies for the leads and a black cat which caused one of the second leads to lose his sanity. There are a lot of cat food ads. The question now is: were the cats originally written in the script or were they added because of the PPL?

The society this drama describes is a cruel one: it is the weak who suffer in the hands of the rich and the powerful, the poor are not helped by the people who are supposed to be there to protect them (usually known as the police) because of the overpowering corruption. So they either bow down and suffer in silence or deal the justice themselves. Unfortunately for them, it never ends well.

The cinematography of this drama is extraordinary: from filming angles, to colour scheme (everything is gray except for the ML's red car) to geometrical sets (there are lots of circles!) and everything is important for the story. It was pretty much obvious from the first episode that the events are not taking place in the real world: the lack of colours and the number 4 showing up everywhere, as well as the strange and ominous sounding music gave the very odd impression that not everything is what it seems.

Frankly I am surprised this drama has such high ratings give the complex story and the filming style: it definitely is not one of the usual BLs. Actually I would put sci-fi as the main genre here followed by crime and psychological and then, maybe, romance where characters happen to be gay. The tone of this drama reminded me very much of 7 Days to Valentine where the storyline and production were just as dark and depressing, not very romantic. What is different here is the main actor's cult following and the abundance of NC scenes (which were, by the way, beautifully filmed). I keep seeing the comments and the reviews saying in gist: "omg, those nc scenes are hot i want more!!!" but never mention the plot or anything else that is actually important and really interesting here. The producer knows its business and how to speak to teen audience just give them hot actors making out and they are happy. Who cares about the plot? Well I do and luckily for me, they managed to strike a good balance between an engaging plot and a few soft porn scenes (not as many as I thought there would be!) so everyone's happy now!

Actually, this drama should be watched just for its cinematography if nothing else! In conclusion, this is a difficult but a beautiful and a satisfying watch. Not for the fans of fluffy bls though....

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Great Tyme Continuum

Hello, I'm Great! No, I don’t mean I'm doing great (have you seen the show?), but that I am Great! Ummm… no, I'm not saying I'm a great person (have you seen the show?), but my name is Great! Oh… I give up. I’m the crazy cat lady. Happy?

Anyway, what did you make of me and my story? Wasn’t it fun? Admittedly, it isn’t fun to die Tyme and Tyme again for your entertainment, but you knew I was going to live, didn’t you?

I’m grateful to my creators for putting me in one of the *greatest* bodies out there, on whose head not a strand is out of place, and whose body Adonis and Antinous would envy. They also seem to have had a big budget, which they mostly spent on interior design porn, and renting cars from the Fast and the BiCurious outlet mall. *I* have no objections. I do wish the writers had been paid more… Because I really don’t understand who I am, and what has been happening to me. I also didn’t know *how* to feel about what was happening, but fortunately, the background music was always at hand to tell me.

Since I’m now alive — I’m not sure, this might be a Black Mirror kind of situation — I have been lurking around the forums online to find out the truth. I’ve pretty impressed by the hard work of the “fandom”. There are some good theories out there. But I’m still not sure I understand. (I'm a bit thick, you see, but thickness, like size, matters.)

***Ignore the following two paragraphs if pressed for time, or to avoid "plot" details. ***

What I’m most confused about is perspective. So, when I was going into cardiac arrest -- as were Tyme and Tonkla and everyone else who’s ever been shot it would seem -- I had four comatose minutes during which I could see four (?) consequential moments where I could have chosen a less evil path. Fun. I love guilt-tripping. Some, including my maker, Sammon, argue that each of these moments is a pathway to an alternate “reality”, but my physicist friend assures me that this is not how the many-universe theory works. There, reality splits every measurable moment, because quantum decoupling happens every measurable moment. Besides, neither the heart nor the brain are quantum systems, but... never mind. Also, can an unconscious person see? Or hear? Or feel? Isn't that an oxymoron? I, for one, certainly don't remember any of it! (Before you accuse me of being pedantic, know that it is in fact Sammon who prides herself on her scientific and philosophical sophistication.) Also, once we do enter this liminal space, and 'choose' an alternate 'reality' (Kellyanne Conway?), what happens to the reality we leave behind? Do I die? Am I dead? Am I Bruce Willis?

Now, there is also that whole other storyline involving online gambling, TonKla, Korn, Win, and Nan. I know you didn't care for any of it, but bear with me. Did *I* see that too? Did Tyme? Or were their storylines alone real all the time? Are my parents good or bad? If good, why did I see what I did? If bad, why did Tyme see what he did? Fine, let's allow that my perspective and that of an omniscient narrator can co-exist. But then, didn’t TonKla’s dead brother show up at one point? More confusingly, if the four minutes represent opportunities where deaths could have been prevented, didn’t other deaths happen anyway? Are some lives more worth than others? I mean, I know my beautiful body is worth more than Tyme’s grandmother’s life, or that bastard TonKla's, but still… Am I the asshole? Or is the universe fatalistic all the same, and our subjunctive possibilities mere hallucinations? If so, what’s the fucking point of all this?

Of course, Tyme is still in a huff about the fact that *his* perspective got half a measly episode, but mine got six! Poor TonKla, he fared even worse! While we’re at it, what in crazy cat lady’s name was that last episode all about? I'm so confused, and I don’t know why my creators were in such a hurry to wrap things up. I don't even understand why I'm still alive, and why Tyme's alive, but not my brother. Why did he have to kill himself? Don't we all have blood on our hands by the end? Also, who chooses these realities for us? Sammon? If she did, why choose these, and not one in which my story actually makes sense? As I said, the writers should have been paid more, if they were paid at all. But then, all those “cute” moments between me and Tyme — it satisfied you lot, didn’t it? How many of you screamed at the last shot? Good, I’m happy for you. I'm happy for us too. Not for my brother, though.

*** Here endeth knowledge. ***

I know some of you thought my sex scenes with Tyme were a tad on the soft side. Listen, I know my body, and the fact that I was listening to Limp Bizkit all of next day is no coincidence. Tyme is a Great lover, and he bore his arse out for you: be Greatful. But I will admit, that bastard TonKla stole the show from me. Never trust a power bottom is all I'll say. Were you really surprised when he shot me, and revealed his face in the campest way possible? I’d say I’m glad he’s dead, but, I’d still love to have had a Great Tyme with him and Win and Korn. And yes, of course I'd have sex with my murderer if he's hot enough -- ask any self-respecting gay man. Besides, you all saw a flash of JJay's p-JJ, didn't you? How many times did you go back, freeze the frame, and thought to yourself, "I've become my mother"?

Oh, one last thing. Why 4 minutes, you ask? It is, apparently, the length of time it would take for consciousness to fade after the heart stops, during which you can enter an alternate dimension, alternate reality, alternate universe, or whatever else is alternate, and choose a different life. That’s what the last-minute narrator (where the fuck did she come from?) says. Turns out, not possible. Anoxia induces loss of consciousness in 6 seconds, and inflicts permanent brain damage within 2 minutes. (You should have seen the first draft of this review. There are parts of my brain to which I no longer have any access.) So, I can only guess that my creators were listening to Madonna on repeat on Spotify as they fell asleep (or doing cocaine), and concluded, with Mr. Timberlake, there were only 4 minutes left to save the world…

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4MINUTƎS

I have watched tons of bls the last few years and I know very well how they have evolved. When they first started, bls had very similar settings and plots. Most of them took place in universities or high schools, that's how the engineer faculty joke came to be.

At some point, bl series started gaining tons of viewers and attention and companies started -as expected- to invest more and more in this particular "genre". As a result, from characters that were usually high schoolers and university students, we started watching on our screen so many different main leads. From doctors and office workers to supernatural entities and mafia bosses.

The thing is that in the majority of these series, no matter how entertaining or well made they may be, the plot felt more like a background that was there just to envelop the main characters and their romance. It felt like the writers were not actually ready to create a well written and logical plot, since it was out of their comfort zone.

And here comes 4minutes. To get this out of the way, this series is not perfect, but I can clearly see it is an earnest effort to make a unique drama that deviates from the usual tropes.

4minutes has amazing directing and cinematography. In simple words, it is visually stunning. It has an immaculate dark atmosphere, good music and good acting. Of course, since this is the "sultrier" version there are quite a few explicit scenes that are also pretty well done -but not for the faint-hearted-. The chemistry between the characters is good and their love stories are also good (enough).

And here comes the usual black sheep; the plot. 4minutes has an actually well written, intricate and complicated plot. Or to be more precise, that's what they want the audience to believe. The plot itself is not that complicated and until the end it is easy to put all the pieces in the correct place. Things are getting clearer and clearer with each episode. But because the concept is special and because of some directing choices, the plot seems to be much more confusing and complex than it is in reality and I am saying this as positively as possible.

4minutes has a quite unique plot compared to many series (and not only bls). It has flawed characters that don't feel like the typical "toxic" ones we usually watch and enjoy (to hate). It is one of the few times that despite the love stories and the (many) gay main leads, I could feel that the plot was actually more important than the romance. That it was there to serve a purpose, something that is obvious from the viewers themselves. People were not talking that much of the romantic relationship between the mains and the good looking cast. They were making theories about the plot, they were trying to solve it like a riddle. And that is what makes 4minutes a great -pun intended- series, despite its flaws.

And what are those flaws? Some of the acting performances here and there could have been better and some plot points could have been developed in a different manner.
However, the thing that actually bothered me the most has to do with the emotional aspect of the series. I just didn't feel for the characters and their stories. I think that this is the biggest flaw of 4minutes. I could acknowledge that I was watching something well made, but emotionally wise, it didn't move me, it didn't make me gasp. I wanted that something more. I wanted to feel for the characters and for their relationships more than I did.

All in all, despite the negative aspects, 4minutes was definitely worth the watch and it felt like a huge breath of fresh air. It doesn't follow the formula we have seen again and again during the past few years and it was a memorable enough watch that differentiated itself from everything else, putting the plot, and not the romance, in the foreground.

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Perfect production but messy story

This BL was highly anticipated by many. BOC, Bible, Jes. This is a potentially golden combination. And it started off just as promising. Many different storylines that we could see were related, but how exactly was a big question. A lot of questions got answered from around ep. 4. but a lot still remained obscure. What exactly did these 4 minutes mean? and what was real? Because apparently some events were fictional? Ep. 5 and 6 gave us answers. But for me, those were not really the ones we were looking for and even more questions were raised. Who died? And if they did, who killed them? Tha last two eps. wrapped it all up. But not in a neat little package and we are still left with why's how's and who's. Should we have seen some bigger picture? I did not find it if it was there.

Overall the acting is superb, as is the production. Perfect lighting.coloring and stages. Big love here. As for the other parts of the show, like consistency, story, music.... theres still some to be desired. It felt like there were parts of the story missing. Not as much essential parts, but still important "setting the scene" parts. We are thrown into one scene after another and are left to our own devices to connect them all. Which coukld have worked out great, but I still felt like we were looking at an unfinished product.

Maybe it was my expectations that were too high, or maybe it was BOC's ambitions that were too high?

I did also spot some references to KinnPorsche. More subtle, like in some shots, but also very in your face like the song "Why Don't You Stay" by Jeff Satur (but here not sung by Jeff Satur).

I will rewatch this at some point and maybe then I will adjust my review.

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Could have been the next KinnPorsche

I watched this with great expectations. The first episode was intriguing with the whole look into the future for 4 minutes thing. But as the series went on, it changed from intriguing to downright confusing. The 4 minutes became a blur and different realities were so mixed together that you weren’t able to tell what exactly went with what. If this series had been more straightforward, it could have been on the level as KinnPorsche.

But, I thought the acting was superb and I am now a bigger fan of these actors. Bible and Jes made a perfect pairing. I especially loved the “dream-like” sequence where they were extremely happy together. The story about Tonkla was heartbreaking and I shed a few tears for that whole situation.

But overall, the way they made it soooo confusing, I didn’t really enjoy it very much and I won’t be watching it again.

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Another great one from Be On Cloud but this is NOT A ROMANCE.

WARNING : NO SPOILERS But some mild comments which will be separated by lines from the rest of the review.

There was no way they could have given this series a satisfactory ending if not for that one. Although it's bittersweet and a couple of threads could have been better tied up.
One thing I'd like to warn about however is, if you're looking for romance.... this is not the right show. Not that there's not any but it's honestly not the heart of the drama... though they did give some fan service here and there esp. in the final episode in spite of the lack of NC scenes (in the final episode).

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Great was never great but by the time we reached the end of this journey, he had learned to be better. I'm mostly sad for Tonkla, but he crossed a line he should never had. At least Korn redeemed himself though not by choice but because he was driven to it.

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The show was made confusing on purpose and it's one of those that it's better not to know anything about before you start, but at the same time, that confusion is probably what the character we mostly follow felt.

"Why Don't You Stay" was my favorite song in Kinnporsche so it was pretty nice to hear it sung in another voice in the final episode.
Overall a great watch. I personally don't mind NC scenes as long as there's no violence involved ( BDSM or whatever is a BIG NO), some are relatively graphic so it might have hurt some people's sensitivities but personally I watched it for the story so whether there were NC scenes or not didn't make a difference... though I do think some of the earlier scenes with Tonkla felt too gratuitious.

Honestly, I still feel a bit overwhelmed, so I don't know how to write anything coherent apart from that I loved that show from its very first minute and that it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its 8 weeks long run.
I have nothing but praise for the actors and for the whole crew who worked on this little gem which are SO SO SO RARE in Thai BLs.

Bible delivered but I was confident he'd pull it off, but Jes, Fuaiz, and Bas were nice discoveries. I'll keep on following their next projects whether they act together again or not.

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Time well Invested

A brilliant series from the very well written story to the amazing cinematography to the exceptional acting. It perfectly combines mystery with romance and action all very cleverly put, evoking all kinds of emotions. It keeps you interested from the start till the end, making you speculate and theorise over the possibilities. The plot is so strong you really need to pay attention to all the details. It's also the reason the rewatch value in my rating is so high. I feel the second time it's gonna look like a new show.

I recommend this series only to those who enjoy a complex story with dark undertones.

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You need to be completely immersed in the story

This series hits me harder than I expected. I was completely immersed in it as if I was living it, just finished now the last episode and I don't know exactly what to feel yet. Definitely my FAVORITE thai series right now.

The plot is really cool and interesting, but you NEED to pay 100% attention all the time, it's this kinda show that have lot of little details that you may think doesn't matter but trust me, it matters!
It's different from the usual I guess. Not many people like this kinda show because may seems confused, sometimes I was confused too but in a good way of experience. The direction did a great job, I'm really impressed and completely in love with everything about 4 Minutes, the photography is so perfect. People complain about being too dark but to me that fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the series, I can understand if you think that's it's a bad point but to me it's not.

The acting of Bible was insane! I have no words to express what I felt, Bib was PERFECT as Great. In general I think the cast did a amazing job, I really felt. That guy that did Ton Kla was insanely good too, his eyes was completely on the character, he made Ton Kla so real! Spotlights on him!
Now to me that one who did Win was kinda off sometimes, feels weird. He wasn't bad but side with Ton Kla he wasn't good though.

About the chemistry, Great and Tyme was FIRE! Stunning! I loved! Definitely good partners, both was really nice on the characters. Loved everything about. Ton Kla and Win, felt so not cool but had chemistry, idk exactly what to say about them, just weird to me how Win became "close" to Ton Kla. Now about Korn and Ton Kla, yeah had chemistry too but I didn't like Korn in the beginning, he was bad but it's okay because Ton Kla is also bad and crazy and we loved it LOL
Now that dude and that girl, wasn't that random and off like some people are saying, chill guys, they're cute and just that, relax.

The ending was definitely surprised. I was expecting lot of differents endings but this yeah let me without words. I don't know how I feel yet to be honest.
This show hits really harder when youre struggling with maladaptive daydreaming, that's my case, insane, got me really drowning. That's interesting to me. Need to think a lot.

What I loved the most:
- Acting (Great, Ton Kla and Korn) was definitely on point!
- Atmosphere really deep and dark, immersive.
- Photography!!!! Cheff kiss mwah

What I didn't like:
- I felt like something is missing on the last episode but I can't say what, just have a feeling.
- Sometimes, the way that some scenes was switching was off and confuse in not a good way.
- That guy who did Ton Kla was a minor when did the sex scenes, that's definitely NOT COOL ok BOC!

Plus: They should have put this on GLOBAL Viki rakuten! Didn't get why just few country and differents streaming services...

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Strong start average finish

4Minutes actually started out great but the last 2 episodes were not impressive. There are a few unanswered questions and the final episode has a few confusing moments which don't make sense unfortunately or at least they were quite ambiguous and just leave the audience to fill the gap.

I ended up starting the sultier version and it is definitely graphic. There is partial nudity especially involving a minor (at the time of shooting) so it is good that there is a censored version as well. Watch whatever you are most comfortable with.

I rarely watch BLs but the plot summary and title were what intrigued me. I enjoy mysteries and it was definitely fun trying to decipher the clues in each episode before the clarity of the situation finally hits. So that's where it started to be less enjoyable. There are a few editing issues that didn't make sense but don't affect the plot. I was still surprised these things weren't caught.

The show really was a 9/10 for me midway so I expected a strong finish but sadly they were unable to deliver. I felt disconnected from some of the characters by the end because their actions/reactions seemed strange. And some characters don't have the chemistry we were expecting so it feels unbelievable. It is sad because they really could have done well if they covered all their bases and hadn't skipped crucial moments and elaborated things further. I feel disappointed because I had higher hopes but it is worth watching for the suspense.

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This was sooo good!

I really liked this drama, already watched twice to wrap my head truly around it. I like a good drama bl or not, and a bl that does to need all tropes to be successful. This was thought provoking about redemption and trying to get it right.
The actors were excellent in making the characters pull us in, great job. When you hurt for a character, even if they are flawed, you know they have done their job. This may not be for everyone, this is not the fluffy love story, you need to think. I would say the rewatch factor is high, not just for nc scenes, but the story.

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