Bpoop Phaeh Saniwaat 2 (2022)

Bupphesanniwat, The Action Movie

I really loved this movie. The tone was very different. It definitely felt less like a slow-paced drama and more like a fast-paced action movie. I watched this movie in theaters and there were many moments where I straight up felt like I was watching a Marvel movie or something because of the action scenes and slow-mo and loud surround sound. Still lots of sweet romantic moments, but every moment also felt very necessary to the plot.

I really loved the historical setting of this movie. It takes place after the Ayutayyah era, during the Rattanakosin era. The changes in costume and setting really reflect this well and give Kesorn's (Rattanakosin era Ket's) character an interesting vibe. The whole thing has a very "times are changing" vibe with the introduction of ships and steam engines and Western-style clothing and English spreading throughout Thailand.

Kesorn's character, despite not having any memories of her previous lives, still has a very inquisitive, ahead of her time personality. At the beginning she is introduced as a student working alongside an English-speaking priest to study old artifacts and whatnot, so she's really not that different from her past/future life except for speaking English rather than French and fitting in more with the customs of her time period. Det, now Phop, on the other hand acts pretty different because the circumstances between him and Ket in this life are so different from the whole Ayuttayah crazy ghost sister reincarnation thing.

Overall, the movie makes an emphasis on the fact that while they are soulmates, they are not the people they were in their past lives and so their feelings for each other and how they fall in love is not the same either which I thought was really well done. There are also some nice nods to the original series and some awesome new characters that were really likeable and stood on their own as worth rooting for quite well. I really wish they had included the main opening song from the original series at some point though. There were scenes where they played a little bit of the melody underneath other songs, but I really would have loved a moment where they full blasted it. Maybe during like a past life flashback or something.

Not sure when the movie will be available outside of Thailand, but when you can I recommend watching. I'm a huge Bupphesanniwat fan living in Thailand, so I even bought a movie poster to put up in my room haha.

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Light hearted without losing "Love Destiny's touch".

I'm not that great at writing reviews, but as Love Destiny (season 1) is my favorite and most rewatched lakorn yet, I felt like I had to give it a review from the point of view of someone who loves the franchise, the actors and mainly saw it for that reason.
Going into this I was expecting to find that Love Destiny touch that made me fall in love with season one, and despite the movie having very different feels from the series, i was still able to find that.
The movie is light hearted, it has many funny scenes which i appreciated, the costumes and production were amazing, and it had the right amount of mentions to their past lives.

First off I have to mention our two main character's personalities, for convenience i'll just call them bella and pope (the actors' names) because otherwise there'd be too many names to mention.
Pope's character in this one was refreshingly different from the series! He was very bright, definitely more modern, not only in the way he looks but specifically his demeanor, expressions, even the way he interacts with others seems new to me as opposed to the more stoic Pope that we've seen in season1, he knew what he wanted and went for it, he was super funny while maintaining his sweet/caring nature towards Bella, it was a nice change seeing him smile so often and it's definitely something that i would appreciate if it was incorporated into the actual sequel of love destiny (prom likit).
As for Bella's character, I'd say that a lot changed in her as well when compared to the series, for starters in this one she was a lady from the beginning of her life, she was accustomed to the ways of living of her time, and she didn't need anyone to guide her, as a result she looks much more confident and smart, but she has also maintained that curious nature that she has in the series.
I loved the new character, Methus, as well. They formed a nice trio and had a cute bond until the end, i liked how they worked together.
The time-travel plot was well structured, I enjoyed it quite a lot and by the end i was already very invested in it.

In general this movie is a great watch for anyone, but if you're like me and fell in love with the series first, then i'm sure you will at least enjoy this movie. Of course, you have to take into account that this isn't a follow up to what happened in the series, these are different lifetimes, a different period, so you should also see it with an open mind to the changes you'll notice.
Pope and Bella's chemistry is still the best in my opinion, and I felt super nostalgic when watching this, so I can't give it less than a 10.

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I would have preferred the series, I think

I haven't watched a lot of Thai movies, let alone one that is a fantasy. This movie seemed to have been made on a very low budget. It seemed to be a much older film, production quality-wise. I struggled with the overacting of most of the side characters, and the bad make-up. I think this is what made me not love the movie.

I will say that the ML and FL were lovely, both in visuals and in their story line. There was such a calm warmth about both of them (I don't know if that makes any sense). They were very sweet together. The story was somewhat confusing to me, but I love the idea of love that transcends time.

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The movie has nearly 3 hours to show us a sweet time-traveling romance, with a side of Thai history. And it completely squanders it.

A lot of time is wasted on slo-mos and long gazes. Pope and Bella can act with their eyes, but their romantic gazes mean nothing without a proper foundation of a love story. So he loves her because she appeared in his dreams? And she falls for him after he shielded her from a flying piece of wood (of his own making, I might add)? It's flimsy. She's just as likely to fall for Methus, who not only saved her but also has more in common with her. But of course that never happens, because we are told ad nauseam that Bella and Pope are "destiny," which is codeword for lazy writing.

The political conspiracy is equally sloppy. The writers build up this mystery of the man in the iron mask. In the end, he turns out to be some random guy we never seen before and don't really care about. There is a plot twist, albeit a poorly set up one, also involving an evil mastermind that we don’t care about.

The time traveling subplot is nonsensical, at best. What makes Methus so special that he gets sent back into the past? Nothing, except that it’s his “destiny.” Fortunately by this point, my brain has already packed up and left for vacation. As for the comedy aspect, the gags are done in the typical over-exaggerated Thai style. It is not enough to save the movie.

Perhaps this review is too harsh. I'm just tired of the dull writing and direction that completely waste the talents of the cast. Pope, Bella, and Ice all deserve a better script.

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Time travel on crack

Having seen no other entry of the franchise and thinking this would be mostly a romantic comedy based on the trailer, I was surprised to see that this was a mixed bag of comedy, action, romance, time travel and slice of life. One of its strengths is that despite the movie being 2.5 hours, it does not drag all that much. Granted, I watched it with a friend, so we were commenting on it a lot, but still!

I realize now that there is a direct prequel, but at first I wrongly assumed that they were just different stories under the same umbrella. Yet, it feels like nothing was truly missed by not seeing the first movie. Yes, the previous lives are mentioned throughout, but it's not really what the plot is about in the end. Phop wanted to win her over and Kesorn wanted to do her own thing, but what actually brings them together is Methas, a random time traveller from the future. So, you get into this story knowing that the main 2 characters were reincarnated versions of some specific names, then you learn that Kesorn's previous life was basically someone from the future stuck in a past body and then you have an actual time traveller. It makes no sense, yet it is fun.

So, the point of the movie is really about Methas and his effort to get back home and in the meantime, they come across political games. Of course, Phop's goal is just to win over Kesorn, so everything he does in the movie is to basically make her look at him, which eventually works more or less. It is commendable that despite the obvious jealousy Phop felt around Methas and Kesorn, there was a beautiful friendship born among the 3. Their scenes were often on the comedic side and Methas was such a surprisingly cute character that no one could ever really get mad at him. At first he makes you think that he is an irresponsible kind of loser, but he is adorable and sticks true to his character. If anything, this movie is fun to watch them all interact.

Sound-wise, it was trying too hard sometimes. It tries to make some scenes funny by adding a funny sfx, but most of the time those sfx were out of place and there was no continuity with the story, so they stick out like a sore thumb. Acting-wise, their chemistry was natural enough and often were on point with their exaggerrated gestures/faces. The action itself is mediocre, but still there was enough attention given, albeit not great sometimes.

You want to watch something fun with a friend? This is for you! The story could have really been half, but it's easy with a friend. Want something with substance? This is not for you! This is more a pointless fun with lots of convenient and unrealistic things going aroun (apart from all the reincarnation/time travel stuff, of course).

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