July- Dec 2024 Completed Movies

Review - https://mydramalist.com/profile/Jojo7/review/379979

A charming attempt that captures the intensity of first love and its complexities. The chemistry, the story , the acting were all very believable! The tension and longing between the leads was so real and intense laced with humor here and there.
The cinematography and editing is good and actually enhances the viewing experience!
Since it's prequel to the drama, you kind of know what you are getting into but still very enjoyable till the very end ! I liked it more than the drama.

Also those GAZES were everything!! ? I could fuckin' melt !
Recommended ✅

✅ The story is formulaic but executed well. The narrative follows the journey of 15 years of friendship and undeclared love between the main couple while navigating family's expectations and life challenges.
✅The chemistry between the leads was believable & strong and the cinematography added a beautiful touch. It's got some pretty shots throughout.
❌ The overemphasis on the FL's mother who was controlling and distant made me less interested in the story. Her scenes were very frequent and kind of took me out of the main love story. (I have a problem with parents not treating and respecting their adult children like adults)
❌ Despite 2 hours run-time, some characters felt underdeveloped.
❌ I found the pace to be really slow throughout. It felt a bit sluggish and sometimes the buildup tension eventually fell flat.
⚠️The transitions between past to present could have been smoother. It wasn't bad but could have been better.

For a horror movie, this was a okay watch (I’m not big on horror, but aside from a few jump scares, you will be fine). The buildup took a while but the payoff was decent (!?)
As for the acting – LDH barely spoke five words ? KGE was fine, but pretty forgettable except for that exorcism sequence at the beginning. Choi Min-sik was great though!
The visuals and cinematography were on point. They kept the horror vibe strong, but the reason behind the whole over-the-top plot felt a bit anticlimactic for me at the end.

All in all, a decent one-time watch.